Bad news is just good news in disguise
by TwinGleeks101
Summary: When Sam dies in a car crash, Mercedes is left to bring up their child. But when she meets someone later in life she really wonders whether the bad news of Sam is just good news in disguise. Rated T for themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is a new story we're going to be working on for the summer. Yes, you read right, as of 3:30pm on Friday the 1st of June 2012, me and Georgia are officially on summer holiday! We only have to go back for exams then that's it. We're not going to be available for about 2 weeks in about July time. This is because we're going on an adventure holiday of some sort and we get a week at the adventure camp then a week at a University campus. So technically, Mum gets rid of us for 3 weeks completely free of charge. Tell us what you think and what we can improve. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

Mercedes giggled as she felt Sam's warm breath on the nape of her neck. Rolling over, she grinned, seeing Sam stare at her, his soft green eyes filled with love.

"Hey there beautiful" he grinned, placing one of his big hands onto her gently swollen stomach.

"Hey Sam." she smiled back, her hand dwarfed against Sam's.

She couldn't believe it. 5 years ago she was just out of college and without a boyfriend. Now, she was in a steady job as an elementary school music teacher and married for nearly a year. Plus she was 22 weeks pregnant with their first child who Sam was convinced that it was a girl.

"So...are you wanting to find out the gender anytime soon?" Sam asked, propping himself up onto his elbows.

Mercedes shook her head laughing "Not yet. Oh! Before I forget, there's been some movement again"

Sam's eyes widened "There has?" he asked, sounding a lot like a kid in a candy store "When?"

"Last night. Nothing major but a few light kicks, slightly harder than the ones at 18 weeks. Well, there's been enough for me to wake up, let's just say that"

Sam's hand hovered unsurely over her stomach, unsure whether or not he was allowed to touch it

She laughed, nodding "Honey, go ahead, see if it'll wake up for you. I'm gonna be reading Christine for a bit."

As Mercedes put her glasses on and settled down, Sam budged over so he could get nearer and gingerly put on of his hands just above Mercedes' naval.

"Um...'Ce,nothing's happening"

She sighed, giving her husband a bit of an annoyed smirk "Try talking or some pressure. I'm sure it'll do it soon."

"Er...hey kid, it's Daddy here...I can't believe you're really gonna consider me as that in a few months. Listen, try not to kick your Mom too much okay? She's a beautiful woman and she deserves a beautiful life."

Mercedes grinned, recognising the quote from the film they watched the night before. Turning over the page, she winced as she felt a hard kick

"Wow! 'Ce did you feel that?" Sam's voice had gone higher a few octaves, becoming more excited "Did you feel that 'Ce?"

She nodded grimly "Yep, I felt that. Come on sweetie, I don't want my ribs to be kicked to a pulp JUST yet"

Sam gasped as he felt it turn over, as if it was trying to get comfortable "I bet THAT'S uncomfortable"

"You bet. Now, seeing as it's 7, I was wondering would you mind to make some pancakes? You know how much the baby enjoys them."

"The baby is the only human that can actually stand my cooking." he smirked, climbing out of bed. He helped Mercedes downstairs and looked in the cupboard and fridge

"And what does m'lady want with her pancakes this morning? We've got eggs, bacon, maple syrup, potatoes and sausage."

"Syrup and potatoes today, I think."

"Syrup and potato pancakes coming right up"

* * *

Once they'd finished breakfast, Sam went upstairs to get changed as did Mercedes.

"Y'know, you're making it_ really_ hard to find decent stuff that fits you know that?" Mercedes asked, talking to her stomach "And as for shoes, all I can fit in is crocs, which honey, is NOT a good look."

The baby responded with a swift kick, making Mercedes cringe.

"I know you're embarrassed but don't blame me, blame your father, he was the one that got me pregnant."

"Hey! You liked it" Sam purred, giving his wife a teasing wink making her blush "I was thinking tonight we could try out that new seafood restaurant..."

"Can't. I'm pregnant and I'm not meant to eat shellfish. We could always go to Breadstix?" she offered, putting her hand on his arm "Hmm?"

"Why don't we just order a take-out? I'll go to the video store on the way back from work."

"Okay then. I've got a checkup this afternoon so I'll be a bit late. Oh, could you make sure to get Totoro or something?"

"Sure. I need to go now, love you"

"Love you too"

* * *

Mercedes was relaxing with a movie when the phone rang. Sighing, she got up and picked up the receiver, half expecting Sam to be on the other end, sheepishly explaining that he locked his keys in the car again.

"No Sam, I am not helping you this time round, you got yourself in this mess and you're getting yourself out."

"I'm sorry, is this Mercedes Evans?"

"Yes" she said, sounding unsure "Is everything alright?"

"I'm afraid to say this but your husband's been in a crash."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Georgia here with our latest story. The idea came to me when I was watching Beauty and the Beast in the cinema and it was the end with the part "You'll be alright, we're together now everything's going to fine you'll see" and I was getting depressed thinking of this scenario D: Has anyone seen the new "Les Miserables" trailer the one with Anne Hathaway? I cannot stop watching it, it's amazing! Well well well, tommorrow is the LAST ever day at school for me and Charlotte and I can't wait! Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

_"I'm afraid to say this but your husband's been in a crash."_

That was all it took for Mercedes' world to come crashing down to earth. She felt herself taking a deep breath shakily "How...b-bad was it?"

The person on the other end of the reciever sighed.

_"He's in a coma at this moment in time. There was another passenger but I can't give details, hospital policy."_

"W-will he make it?" she whispered, sitting down on a chair to stop herself from fainting. No this couldn't be happening, it couldn't have it it shouldn't have. Right now Sam should be at work as a radio presenter, not stuck in a hospital with loads of beeping machines surrounding him.

The person sighed again _"There's no say. At the moment it's a 30 percent survival rate."_

"Okay." Mercedes nodded, tears in her eyes.

* * *

The first thing Mercedes encountered when she arrived at the reception of Lima Memorial was Sugar frantically making her way over to the young woman.

"Have you seen Rory anywhere? I can't live without my little leprechaun! I came as soon as I heard, he was car pooling with Sam and..." she then burst out into tears, realising what had happened "Sam was in a car crash so that means...Rory..."

Mercedes sniffed, trying to keep her emotions together. Heading over to the front desk she asked their names

"Sam Evans and Rory Flannagan?"

"Yep, hang on just a sec...they're both in the ICU."

"ICU?" Sugar asked, her voice barely a whisper "But that means..." she burst out into another bout of tears "Tell me they're going to be alright?"

"Third floor on the right. Don't worry, I'm sure they're going to be okay"

* * *

Mercedes walked up to the third floor numbly, just staring straight ahead. She didn't know whether to laugh, cry or just explode with anger. She just...didn't know.

Once again, there was another desk this time an older woman with greying hair on duty

"Sam Evans?" Mercedes asked, trying at all costs to avoid eye contact. Eye contact meant real tears which wasn't so good for the baby. Speaking of baby, she really needed to pee soon but that was the last thing on her mind.

"Room 8, are you a relative?"

"I'm his wife who is also pregnant with his child."

"Is Rory okay? Please tell me he's alright!" Sugar screamed, pushing in front of Mercedes.

"Hang on a second miss, let me sort this person out. He's in room 8. You just need to sign in and then you can go see him. Now miss..."

As the receptionist was helping Sugar out, Mercedes signed in and headed towards room 8 where a flurry of medical staff were inside.

She knocked on the door a few times,making several heads turn

"Are you Mrs Evans?" one of them asked. She nodded and the doctor extended his hand "I'm Dr Monroe, no realtion to Marilyn" he chuckled at his own joke before clearing his throat

"You're husband is in a serious condition Mrs Evans. His survival rate is...25 percent"

"B-but wait, the person on the phone told me it was 30 percent what happened?"

"His condition has worsened. His left lung has collapsed so we've put him on a medical ventilator for the time being. He's got internal bleeding and various cuts and bruises. His tibia has a laceration as well as the bone sticking out of the skin. He has a punctured stomach and severe whiplash. We've put him into a medical induced coma for the time being but there's no say on when he's going to wake up. It could be days or weeks,even."

"Will he be okay though?"

The doctor sighed, not knowing how to say the news.

"I'd prepare for the worst case scenario."

* * *

Eight hours later,Rory slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the light. He could sense that something wasn't quite right. He didn't remember much, only wet conditions and Sam trying to pull the brake at a red stop light. Only his brakes didn't work and a lorry was coming straight towards them.

He gave a soft groan, alerting Sugar and several nurses

"Rory!" Sugar breathed, giving her boyfriend a hug "You alright?"

"Well,I've been better." he chuckled weakly in his thick Irish brogue.

"Thank God you're alive!" she laughed though her tears, gently kissing his forehead. She suddenly realised he was alive and turned livid "What the HELL do you think you were doing? Don't you DARE scare me again otherwise I'll have no choice but to murder you silently in your sleep."

"Please don't...I'm in enough pain as it is." Rory coughed, sending spasms of pain to shoot through him, causing him to wince "Ughh..." it was then Rory realised what had happened "Where's my arm?"

Sugar's voice sounded shaky as she spoke "The tissue was damaged beyond repair...they couldn't save it."

"So...I've lost it?"

The brunette nodded,comfirming Rory's fears "Just above the elbow."

Rory sighed, tears in his eyes "Well at least if I lose one glove I won't have to buy a new pair" he said jokingly, making Sugar giggle, kissing his forehead.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

* * *

Mercedes watched the heart machine, steadily beeping. Sam didn't look so good. His right leg was propped up in plaster, his face was puffy, his lips so so swollen. There were also bags of blood and medicine hooked up to various places on his wrist and a tube going up his nose. This was not the man she knew and loved. The man that lay before her was a different one completely, almost like a monster and she refused to believe that.

She remembered when Burt was in a coma. Didn't Kurt talk to him or something?

"Hey Sam" she offered gently squeezing his hand "You still there hon?"

No response. Just the gentle rising and falling of his chest on which were connected a number of different pads, all hooked up to their specific machine.

"It's me Mercedes. I just want you to know how much I love you. I love you with all my heart and more. I don't need a knight in shining armour, I've got my Marty with his Einstein and Doc. Listen, if you can, please do not give up, you can do this Sammy baby, I love you."

_Beep...beep...beeeeeep._


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello to all of you lurverly, lurverly people! It is now officially official, we are free from school for the next 3 months! Well, when we say that, what we really mean is that we only have to go back for exams and results then on the 27th of this month, we are free! It feels weird 'cos technically, we're on our summer holidays and it's double what we usually get. It's annoying 'cos you plan all this stuff and you only do about two things from it. And because it was the last day yesterday, Mum bought us two more disney dvds to add to our collection. What were those dvds you may ask? Lilo and Stitch and Mulan. We got told there was also Pocahontas and we wouldn't have been bothered if she chose that over Mulan. We're not dissing it, we're just saying we wouldn't have been fussed. You may have noticed in our stories that there have been disney dvds mentioned ie: the latest chapter of 'Movie night' (****"You know very well what I'm talking about Kurt Nathaniel Hummel. We used to have a sleepover on the first night of summer vacation. It would always be a disney marathon. And we would always watch the same movies.****The Emperor's new groove, Alice in Wonderland, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Brother Bear, A Goofy Movie, Basil the great mouse detective and The Princess and the Frog.") that serves as a reference as they are the disney movies we owned on dvd at the time. It was also 50's day at school and it was 50's rock and roll or red white and blue (It's the Queen's diamond jubilee here) and we chose red, white and blue. Red and white thing one and thing two shirts, red converse (Blue for Georgia) and blue jeans. There were also quite a few pink ladies. Also there was crying. Lots and lots of crying. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

_Beeeeeep..._

Mercedes looked up, only to have several alarms go off at once. Looking around, she noticed Sam's chest wan't going up and down like it should have done.

Just then, a bunch of doctors and nurses came in and instantly crowded around the empty shell of a man that was Samuel Theodore Evans.

"M'am, you're going to have to get out of the room." a nurse instructed, trying to usher Mercedes out of the room.

"No, wait! You don't understand! That's my husband there!" she shouted, trying to get into the room "That's my husband..." she whispered as she sat down "That's my...husband."

* * *

"Hey guys, you seen Rory or Sam anywhere?" Puck asked carrying a mug of coffee "I can't seem to find them.."

"I haven't heard from either of them since last night and that was to say they'd be a bit late 'cos of the snow." Finn mumbled, shrugging "It also might be because of the car crash on 189, I heard that's causin' a lotta traffic."

"Yeah alright" Arite yawned, taking a bite of his sandwich

* * *

Mercedes paced up and down the corridor, stopping every once in a while to support her back. The baby was on the move today,probably sensing something was up.

"It's okay little one, everything's going to alright...you'll see."

As the doors opened, Mercedes looked up, her eyes full of hope. Unfortuneatley, hope isn't what she saw. She saw Dr Monroe, his face looking grave. She looked around to see if there was anyone else in the waiting room. There wasn't.

"Mercedes, could I talk to you for a moment?" he asked, sitting down on a chair and motioning for Mercedes to do the same.

"What's happened? I-is Sam alright?" she whispered,fearing the worse.

Dr Monroe sighed, his face becoming more sombre if that was even possible "I'm very sorry to say this but Sam passed away at 18:31."

"No...that can't be possible..."

"I'm sorry for your loss. His injuries were just too severe. If there was the chance that he did survive then he would be on medication and have extensive physiotherapy for the next year at least, the medication for life."

Mercedes let out a shaky breath before tears slipped down her cheeks, silently and heavy.

"I'll just get the paperwork" Dr Monroe said softly before walking down the hallway.

* * *

"...I'll get it! Oh,hey Mercedes, why don't you come on in?"

"Is Quinn there?" Mercedes mumbled, her heart still heavy with grief. It had been a day since Sam had died. Fortunately she got to say one last goodbye. Unfortunately he wasn't with her now.

"Sure, come on in" Joe smiled warmly, hoisting the little girl in his arms into a more suitable position for both her and him "Sorry 'bout the baby stuff, Paige just came home a few days ago so we're still getting things sorted."

"That's okay." she whispered, smiling slightly at the sleeping baby in her Daddy's arms.

"Quinn! You've got a visitor!" he gently called into the lounge where his wife was laying on the couch.

"Hey 'Cedes" Quinn grinned, holding her arms out for a hug "How's Sam?"

That's when Mercedes lost it. She broke down crying into Quinn's arms, not even stopping for breath. Quinn sat there,motionless. She knew what had happened yesterday and assumed the worst.

"He hasn't..."

Still sobbing, she managed to nod and let out a small "Mmhmm"

Quinn couldn't help but let out a few tears herself. Okay, he was her ex, but he was really sweet and she was sure she still had the promise ring he gave her all those years ago lurking around somewhere.

They stayed there for at least 20 minutes before Joe came in.

"Can I get you guys some coffee or some cocoa?"

"Cocoa" Quinn mouthed, giving him a grateful smile, stroking Mercedes' hair "'Cedes, if you want you can move in with us for a bit?"

Mercedes shook her head "No, you've got Paige to look after. I don't wanna be a burden. I'll move back in with my Mom."

Quinn nodded understandingly, knowing what she was going through, being a single mother flitting from house to house.

"Okay, but here..." she looked at Mercedes, pressing ten 20 dollar notes into her hand.

"Quinn...I can't, you need it more than I do."

"It's okay. Paige is just lucky to have a grandma that has bought her enough clothes to last her for at least 5 years."

"No, I don't need your money..." she began before Quinn closed her fist

"Mercy, just take it" Quinn insisted,looking Mercedes in the eye.

"Alright. Thanks Q"

"Anytime"

* * *

Mercedes couldn't sleep. She kept on thinking about Sam too much. The baby kicked, letting her know that it was still there.

"I know hon, I know." she murmured, her hand lightly grazing her belly.

She sighed as she looked around her old room, surprised to find that nothing had changed except for the fact that it was tidier than ever. There was still her old Land before Time movie poster hanging up as well as the variety of dvds that had accumulated over the years. She could have sworn that she had the most varied collection known to man, ranging from The Hangover and Drop Dead Fred to The Pagemaster and The Swan Princess.

Several moments later, her eyes came into contact with her big mirror that had numerous pictures of her and Sam together. Mercedes' favourite one being of her and Sam standing outside the Ferris Wheel at the state fair when they were seven. Sam standing a head taller and both with ice cream on their faces.

She smiled lightly, tears in her eyes, falling down her cheeks.

How she was going to do this whole parenting thing without Sam, she never knew


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! Georgia here with our story :3 Nothing much is happening this week, my best friend is moving today and it's the holidays so nothing is on our agenda. We could have gone to a camp but we can't because of exams. I'm hoping for merde weather on Thursday. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

"...with Mercedes? It's been 8 weeks."

"I don't know, I've never seen her like this, I mean yeah, she deserves to be upset, her husband just died. But she needs some cheering up in her life."

Quinn, Sugar, Santana, Brittany and Tina were at Tina's apartment having a get-together. Rachel couldn't make it because she was going into labour and Finn was freaking out.

"But what can we do? We've tried everything." Santana explained, trying to keep an eye on Austin who was steadily toddling over towards where Paige and Evan where sleeping contentedly.

"Austin..." Brittany warned, making her way over to the 15 month old.

"Anyway, we need to cheer her up before her baby comes which is in 9 weeks. Why don't we organise a spa day for her? It'll help her relax?" Tina suggested, glancing at Evan who was now awake, cooing lightly.

"I do like the spa idea but there's only one problem."

"And that is..." Sugar inquired, the only person oblivious to the dilemma they were facing.

"Babysitting. Who's going to look after the kids?" Quinn asked, motioning towards Austin who was now poking Santana's cheek much to her annoyance and Brittany's amusement.

"Why not we get the guys to do it?" Tina mumbled, a spoon in her mouth.

"Hold up, I don't think so. I left Joe with Paige last week for one hour and withing ten minutes he was calling me. Tarzan can't survive without his Jane."

"Yeah, you have a point. Why don't we just drop them off at a daycare or ask our Moms to look after them?" Brittany suggested, trying to control Austin "I mean, Maribel only lives...20 minutes away."

"She may only live 20 minutes away but her and Dad are away for their anniversary and won't be back for 2 months."

"We could take care of them. I'm pretty sure babies like that sorta thing."

"I don't think so Brit." Quinn smiled, placing her hand on top of her friend's. "Then there'll be no point in doing that as it won't be a Mercedes and us day will it? It'll be a Mercedes, us and kids day and we have those all the time."

"Well, it would have to be the Dads then won't it?"

* * *

"Dude, why did we do this?" Finn asked,rocking an extremely crabby Robyn "I mean, Robyn's only...2 weeks old"

"Beats me. Guess the girls wanted a day out to make Mercedes feel better." Puck shrugged, holding a sleeping Paige.

"Anyway, it's only for a few hours, it's not like it's all day." Rory mumbled, frowning as he tried to pick up a beer, only to remember that he couldn't "Mercedes deserves this day"

"What actually happened?" Finn asked, looking straight at Rory.

Rory sighed, bending his head, wanting to forget.

* * *

_"Rory come on, we're going to be late." Sam called from the car, ushering Rory to hurry up._

_"Just a minute! Bye Sugar, call you later,love you!" Rory shouted from the bottom of the stairs to a vomiting Sugar in the bathroom._

_"I swear Flannigan!..."_

_Rory shook his head and chuckled to himself. Pregnancy was not treating Sugar kindly and it wasn't going to give up without a fight._

_"Love you too." he called back, grabbing his lunch from the kitchen. Heading towards the car, he shut the door behind him._

_As he opened the car door, he heard the familiar warble of Toby Keith come from the radio._

_"...they are nonforclosable, Freddie Mac can kiss my ass..."_

_"Hey Sam, what's up?"_

_"They sky, uh...pants, the usual."_

_"How's Mercedes doin'?" Rory asked, fumbling with the seat belt slightly "Isn't she like...20 weeks?"_

_"22" Sam corrected, backing out of the driveway "Yeah, she's 22 weeks and doing fine. The baby kicked last night for the first time." he grinned, not wanting to forget it._

_"Oh aye? Sugar's still in the vomiting at any given moment stage."_

_"Just tell her...that it will pass and that's actually a good sign as it means the baby's healthy." Sam switched CDs and pressed play._

* * *

Rory shook his head, trying to rid of the memory but it wouldn't budge "We came to a stop light only Sam's breaks weren't working. He skidded straight through the red light,ended up on the wrong side and then there was a truck." he whispered,trying to keep it together before bursting into tears. "Why did it have to be him?" he choked, becoming increasingly distressed.

"Hey bud, it's okay" Finn said, patting his back awkwardly "It's alright, it's done now, it was an accident."

Rory sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve, feeling like he was in primary again "Yeah, it was an accident..."

* * *

"...so how's Rory adapting to his new life?" Quinn asked, gently blowing on her coffee,letting the warmth radiate her hands.

"He's finding it hard. Its definitely hard but we're slowly getting there." Sugar groaned in pleasure as hands dug into her back "Left a bit...left left left...perfect...this was definitely one of our better ideas."

"You said it" Mercedes purred,as knuckles kneeded into her lower back. That...was...heaven. Her back had been killing her for a few days and this was one of the days that it hurt for the worse. And for once the baby had decided to relax and stop kicking for a bit.

"We should totally do this more often." Santana sighed, letting the warm bubbling water engulf her body. "I propose that from today, on the last Saturday of every other month, we should have a girls day out where we'll let the Dads babysit and to make it fair, everyone will contribute 20 dollars. Agreed?"

"Agreed"

* * *

"...sorry about the music, Rory insisted that we get this before the baby was born."

"Toy Story Music Mania?" Quinn mused, looking at the CD.

"Yeah. He wouldn't leave until we left with it and for seven dollars it's pretty good. Oh! Can we listen to the last one? It's my favourite"

"Sure" Quinn smiled, switching onto the last track.

As the first few notes played, Mercedes got flash-backs of her and Sam dancing, baking, acting silly...and just generally enjoying their first year as husband and wife.

_Don't you turn your back on me,_  
_Don't you walk away._  
_Don't you tell me that I don't care,_  
_Cause' I do._

_Don't you tell me, I'm not the one,_  
_Don't you tell me, I ain't no fun,_  
_Just tell me you love me, like I love you._  
_You know you do._

_When we're together,_  
_Gray skies are clearer._  
_And I'll share them, till where I'm less depressed._  
_And it's sincerely, from the bottom of my heart,_  
_I just can't take it when we're apart._

_We belong together,_  
_We belong together._  
_Yes, we do,_  
_You'll be mine, forever._

_We belong together,_  
_We belong together._  
_Oh, it's true,_  
_It's gonna stay this way, forever,_  
_Me and you._

_If I could really talk to you,_  
_If I could find a way._  
_I'm not shy,_  
_There's a whole lot I wanna say,_  
_Oh of course there is!_

_Talk about friendship, and loyal things._  
_Talk about how much you mean to me._  
_And I'll promise, to always be by your side,_  
_Whenever you need me._

_The day I met you,_  
_Was the luckiest day of my life._  
_And I bet you feel the same._  
_At least I hope you do._  
_So don't forget,_  
_If the future should take you away,_  
_That you'll aways be part of me._

_We belong together,_  
_We belong together._  
_Wait and see._  
_Gonna be this way, forever._

_We belong together,_  
_We belong together._  
_Honestly,_  
_We'll go on this way, forever,_  
_Me and you,_  
_You and me._

"We'll get through this. Daddy may not be alive but it doesn't mean he's not here. He and I love you very much. I just hope that you grow up knowing that." Mercedes whispered to her stomach "I promise"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey people! What's happening wherever you are? Nothing much for us, now that we're not at school, it'll just be revision for the remaining exams and camping out in the living room with our laptops and plenty of hot drinks. We got Carrie and Ferris Bueller's day off on DVD today and they are pretty good. One of my favourite bits from Ferris is the nurse. *Sister opens door "Thank-" "I heard that you were feeling ill, headache,fever and a chill, I came to help restore your pluck, 'cos I'm the nurse who like to-" *Sister shuts door* Genius! XD Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

It had been 4 months since Sam had died and Mercedes was now 38 weeks pregnant and staying at her Mom's house. Ever since the accident, everyone noticed that Mercedes was not the woman she had been and the only release from it was the monthly get together with the girls.

She sighed, and attempted to sit up, frowning as she felt a dull pain in her back, recognising the start of a braxton hick contraction. It wasn't unusual, she had felt them before and they weren't even that painful,just annoying.

Her Mom came in the room, leaning against the doorway. She worried about Mercedes. A lot. "Mercy, are you alright?"

"Mm...just a braxton..it hurts a bit but it's more annoying"

Dianne chuckled "Yeah, they hurt like a bitch but you gotta get used to them."

Mercedes smiled weakly, supporting her swollen stomach as she bounced lightly on the exercise ball she bought last week.

"How's baby in there?" the older Jones asked, sitting down on the couch"Is it alright?"

Mercedes nodded "Yeah, it's alright for the moment. I think it wants to come out soon though. Even I'm getting tired."

"Well you should go take a bath. That may help?"

"I'm good. It's not that painful just yet...'sides, it's not due for 10 more days." She gave her Mom a tired smile, just wanting Sam to be there to hold her during a contraction and to create some sort of memorable situation that she'll never let him live down.

Dianne sighed, standing up "I'm gonna take Calvin and Hobbes out for a walk, call me if anything happens."

Mercedes couldn't help but roll her eyes at this comment "Mom, there is no way that the baby'll come in the next half hour. It's Sam's kid, knowing him, it won't be making an appearance for a while. Sam never likes to rush things."

"Okay, just making sure..."

* * *

Dianne returned 30 minutes later, out of breath with two dogs traipsing in behind, one being a small dirty blonde terrier, the other being a greyhound with tiger stripes

"Did they tire you out again?" Mercedes asked as Dianne settled herself onto the armchair "And before you ask, I didn't have any pains only a slight uncomfortableness, that's it."

As Dianne caught her breath, Mercedes lost hers suddenly as a contraction sliced through her stomach.

"Braxton?" Dianne mused lightly, understanding her daughter's pain.

"Not sure." she mumbled, letting out a breath "I think...so..but it felt different. I'm going to take a bath."

"Alright sweetie."

* * *

"Joe,don't use the phone, I'm gonna call Mercedes!" Quinn called,stepping out of the shower "Can you also feed Paige?"

"Sure thing Quinn! Alright Paigey, let's see if we can get some milk down you today." Joe smiled, getting a bottle out of the fridge and shaking it, making sure all the formula was dissolved into it.

Quinn got to the phone quickly, dialling Dianne's number. She heard it ring a few times before someone picked up

"Hello?...Hobbes, shush! Hello?" Dianne asked, trying to calm down a jumpy Hobbes. Hobbes was jumpy. As in, any little bang would make him jump and shiver. Calvin on the other hand was opposite. And yet they were the best of friends.

"Hi Dianne, is Mercedes there? I want to know if I can come round for a drink? Just to see how she is?"

"Sure you can Quinn! Before I forget can you tell Joe that church is an hour later than usual this week? The choir are wanting room to practice."

"Sure thing Dianne."

* * *

"Cedes? Dianne? Anyone here?" Quinn called into the seemingly empty house "Hello?"

"In here sweetie" Dianne called back from the living room. She smiled as Quinn came in and sat down "Hey Quinn, how's Paige?"

"She's fine. Joe's looking after her for a bit so I get some time off. She's not sleeping too good..."

"She's not?"

"No, she's up at least 5-6 times a night easily. Every little thing seems to wake her. We're both pretty light sleepers so that could be it."

"Have you tried moving her to her own room yet?" Dianne asked, taking a few bites of her sandwich "How old is she?"

"I've been talking to Joe about it but he doesn't seem too keen on the idea. She's..14 weeks so nearly 3 months old. I admit, I'm not all for the idea myself but it needs to be done so...Mercedes?"

Dianne's gaze trailed back to her daughter who was holding her stomach, trying to breath slightly.

"Hey." she smiled, waddling in, Quinn rushing to her aid.

"Quinn, I'm pregnant, not ill, there's no need to panic, I don't need to go to hospital just yet".

"Alright" Quinn said, sounding reluctant,"If you're sure."

* * *

Kurt huffed to himself after no one answered the door.

He had and Blaine had arrived in Lima from New York for the week to catch up on everything and to see his's niece for the first time. Whilst Blaine was sleeping the enormous dinner Carole had made, Kurt had gone to see how Mercedes was after hearing from Finn what had happened.

He rang the doorbell repeatedly, calling through the letter-box but to no avail. He sighed once more, checking his phone. Nothing. He was just about to give up when Rory's head popped up over the fence that separated his and Sugar's house to Mercedes'.

"Mercedes isn't in,she hasn't been for about a month now." he said in his thick Irish brogue.

Kurt nodded his head understandingly. He knew about Sam after Finn mumbled something about a car crash. Whipping out his phone he quickly punched in Mercedes' number and pressed ring. He only had to wait 2 rings before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a shaky voice at the end of the line asked.

"Hey Mercedes, you up for a coffee at the Lima Bean? My treat."

"Kurt boo, that's really sweet to think of me but...I'm a bit occupied at the moment?"

"You are?" Kurt asked, sounding surprised "Is the baby alright?"

"About that...yeah, I'm going into labour, or so my Mom says." she chuckled wryly, letting out a breath "Ow...hey Kurt, if you want, you can come round to my Mom's house, that's where I'm staying at the moment."

"I'll be there in 10." Kurt smiled, hanging up.

"Best prepare yourself Hummel, you're gonna be in for a bumpy ride."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi readers! TwinGleeks101 here once again reporting to you! We're supposedly on study leave at the moment which basically translates into us in the living room with our laptops and having hot drinks every few hours. Aside from that, nothing much has been happening. Over the past few days, me and Georgia have been discussing the disney version of Pocahontas. Okay, nothing new there, we discuss disney all the time and Pocahontas was the start of the disney downfall as everyone knows. But, what everyone may not know was that it was in production during the same time that The Lion King was being made and the producers invested all their time and all their effort into Pocahontas, believing that it would be the big one, the next Beauty and the Beast and the The Lion King would just be a cheap gimmick that no one would want to see. In an early version of Pocahontas, the animals were originally meant to talk and the there was going to be a turkey sidekick called Redfeather but after John Candy who was voicing him dies, the whole idea was scrapped. Before I forget, we also need names. Boy names,girl names, just names. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

"...that's it, just breathe." Quinn soothed, rubbing Mercedes' shoulder comfortingly.

"Quinn, it's not even that bad, they're just slightly uncomfortable."Mercedes smiled, shrugging Quinn's hand off "Besides, my water hasn't broken and I haven't lost my plug so it's all good"

"Okay" she mumbled, sounding skeptical "Just remember, ice chips are a saviour and if the pain gets too much, it's perfectly okay to ask for pain relief, you won't be considered weak for doing so."

"Thanks Quinn. I'm fine, I'm just uncomfortable"

"Go on the ball" Kurt suggested, taking a sip of his coffee "Or have a bath, that's what Carole did when she had Meggie."

"Thanks Kurt but...I'd rather take advice from someone who's done labour before? It's not that I'm ignoring you because I'm not to a certain extent,it's just that you've never done it before so you don't fully know. Ow"

Her nose crinkled, one hand plastered on her stomach "Um...Mom...contraction? Can you, can you...write it down in the book..."

"Sure thing Mercy."

"This sucks...Kurt,can you call the hospital to let them know I'm on my way? The number's on the fridge."

"Will do. Should I ask for an ambulance or are you okay?"

"I'm fine...I'm...fine"

"Okay whatever you say boo"

* * *

"Hey Mercedes." Dr Meyers greeted, shaking the woman's hand "How you feeling?"

"Sucky." she chuckled, wincing "Real sucky at the moment."

"Don't worry, that's perfectly normal. I'll just check how dilated you are then we'll take things from there. This will be painful but it'll only be for a brief moment." the young doctor explained, snapping on some gloves. "Alright...legs up and take a deep breath in"

Mercedes took a deep breath, her eyes widening as a pair of fingers entered her body. She hissed as they moved around before coming back out.

"Good news." Dr Meyer said, putting the gloves in the bin and washing her hands "You're definitely dilated...about 3 centimetres so we're gonna go ahead and admit you."

"Finally." Mercedes laughed shakily, feeling the kicks against her palm. "I know honey, I know."

* * *

"Hey Mercedes!" Sugar smiled, coming into the room, a small bag in each hand.

"Hey Sugar. What's with the bags?"

"Something for the baby. I figured since the gender is unknown I might as well get one of each. Oh! This is just exciting! I can't WAIT till my babies come." she gushed, giving Mercedes a hug "How's the pain?"

"So-so. I'm getting tired at the moment and according to the doctor I need to get as much rest as possible."

"I for one can't wait for Evans junior to arrive. Everyone's making bets on the gender and the time. From what I know, Puck's bet 50 dollars for a boy at 3 in the morning. Even Kurt and Finn's little sister is in on it"

"I don't think so. It may be Sam's kid, but this is me and Sam combined. Stubborn and going with the flow. So it's gonna be a while I think"

"Alright, if you say so. Hey, I brought a DVD in case you were bored?" Sugar mumbled, taking out All Dogs go to heaven from her handbag "It's one of my favourites."

"I remember this one. There's the dog called Charlie isn't there?"

"Yeah. He gets hit by a car then goes back to earth thanks to a life watch."

"I remember watching it at school one time. It was the last day before summer and we were allowed to choose the class we went to according to the film. Each class showed a different movie and it was all set up so it was like a cinema. You could even buy a bag of popcorn and some soda for 2 dollars and it all went to a charity of some sort."

She suddenly stopped as she felt a pressure and a wetness in her pants.

"Oh boy...Sugar, could you um...go get the nurse or something? I think I may have wet myself..."

Sugar nodded understandingly and quickly dashed out, returning several moments later with a nurse in tow.

"Now Mrs Evans, from what I've been told, your waters may have broken."

"Mercedes or Cedes is just fine." Mercedes mumbled, cringing as a contraction started "Ooh"

"You having a contraction?"

She nodded frantically, clutching onto the metal bar. Fuck this hurt, she just needed Sam here. Sam...SAM! She broke down in tears as it ended, mainly because she needed Sam to be with her that exact moment.

Sam would hold her and tell her that he loved her in n'avi, Sam would do something totally stupid that would result in him being kicked out of the room and being made to sleep in the waiting room for the rest of the night.

"Mercedes? You alright?" Sugar asked "Come here" as she wrapped Mercedes in a hug, she had a few tears slip out of her cheeks "It's going to be alright...you'll see."

* * *

"I spy with my little eye..."

"Bed" Mercedes bluntly said, not even looking up from her book.

"I spy with my little eye..."

"Sugar, I know you're trying to help, but there's only so much to spy in a hospital room." Mercedes yawned, turning over and grabbing her old stuffed elephant whom she lovingly dubbed 'Peanut' and had owned him ever since she could remember.

Even though her water broke, she was progressing slowly. 10 hours and only 4 and a half centimetres. Her nurse, Nora, wasn't too concerned at the moment, but if she wasn't fully dilated within the next 9 hours she'd have to consider a c-section.

"I'd best be going. Rory has physio soon on his arm and I always go with him." Sugar explained standing up with some difficulty.

"Let me help." the nurse on duty who had introduced herself as Nora smiled reassuringly.

"Thanks." Sugar sighed gratefully, supporting her back.

"Anytime Sugar. Before I forget, your appointment's been changed again I'm afraid."

"Aren't there any earlier ones? We're really wanting to find out the genders as soon as we can."

"I'll just take a look."

As Nora led Sugar out the room, Mercedes groaned, grabbing the gas and air. Sure it made her feel sick but it sure as heck took the pressure of things.

As she had the nozzle in her mouth, Kurt and Dianne came into the room, laden with bags.

"Hey Mercy, I've brought your hospital bag. Don't worry, it's all packed and I've brought along some pyjamas to get changed in to. The shirt was the only one I could find that would be big enough and comfortable."

"Thanks Mom." Mercedes smiled, taking the clothes off Dianne and welling up as she spotted the shirt. It was Sam's favourite Star Wars t shirt. The same one he wore when he proposed. "Momma, I can't."

"I know Sam, he'd want you to have it. How you feeling?"

"Eh, been better." she frowned as she felt the start of yet another contraction, pressing the button on her iPhone that signalled the stopwatch.

"Contraction?" Kurt asked, edging forward.

"Mmhm."Mercedes whimpered,closing her eyes, making deep shushing noises "Mom, Mommy it hurts...it HUUUURRTTTSS!"

Dainne went over, and held her daughter's hand, stroking her hair "It's alright 'Cedes, it's alright"

"No, it's NOT alright! I need Sam but he isn't here is he? He died in a fuckin' car crash Mom! And it was all my fault! If I hadn't pressured him into going to work then he wouldn't have have crashed, he'd still be alive and Rory wouldn't have to resort in being Captain Hook every halloween!"

The machine that was hooked up to Mercedes' chest started beeping rapidly as she got more and more stressed.

"Mercedes, you need to calm down boo" Kurt suggested, giving her a hug "I know how much this hurts...I know." he began crying, silent tears running down his cheeks, like fresh rain on a car window "But, we'll get through this together, that I can promise."

"I just want this to be over Kurt...I'm so scared." Mercedes sobbed into his chest, making it damp with tears.

Kurt began to gently rock, rubbing his best friend's back and allowing her to cry. He started humming softly, kissing her head every so often, stroking her hair

_"Come stop your crying _  
_It will be all right _  
_Just take my hand _  
_Hold it tight _

_I will protect you _  
_From all around you _  
_I will be here _  
_Don't you cry"_

Mercedes looked up and smiled weakly. Everything was going to be alright. She just hadn't realised it yet.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hola me nombres es Georgia, et toi? It's us again with our Samcedes fic at...00:11 on 14 June so we're really tired D: Before we go to sleep WE NEED NAMES! Please! It would do the world (and our fic) some greater good if we had names. BOY names. The middle name is Samuel only because before he died, Sam refused for the baby if it was a boy to be named after him if anything happened. The winner will get 1000 cyber cookies and an OC cameo on the next chapter. So yeah, we need names. What we mean by the OC cameo is that your OC will feature in the next chapter, whether that be a patient/nurse/annoying little kid who visits a person in hospital, it's up to us. We'll let you know of the winner in a PM and they can do whatever. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

"Hey Mercedes" Nora smiled, taking the clipboard of the end of the bed "Alright, let's see what we've got at the moment..." as she studied the notes, Mercedes groaned, a contraction coming quickly.

It seemed they were pretty much constant and even though she had pain relief, there was tonnes load of pressure that took her breath away.

"Easy Mercedes...that's it, you're doing good." the nurse soothed, placing a cool washcloth on the young woman's forehead.

"Thanks." she smiled gratefully, her eyes closing momentarily "How far am I?"

"Well, from what the contractions are stating, you're in transistion meaning you're baby's gonna come soon!"

"Yay" Mercedes laughed sarcastically "How many people can I have?"

"Three's the maximum."

"Quinn, my Mom and Kurt. Sugar is my friend but I don't want her to be freaked out 'specially this close to her having the twins."

"Alright. Now transition can last for either one or two contractions or even one or two hours. You may feel the need to vomit or you may find yourself shaking or even really hot one moment and cold the next. Don't worry, it's all perfectly normal."

* * *

Over the next hour, what Mercedes experienced was in her eyes, anything but normal. She was shaking and her body temperature decided to go all out of whack.

"You're almost there Mercedes." Nora sang, looking over her shoulder whilst washing her hands. "I'll alert Dr Meyers to let her know you're ready."

"Alright" Mercedes mumbled, wiggling her feet. They. Were. Freezing. "Kurt, could you...agh...ooh." she grunted as she fought the urge not to push but it proved too much.

"I...gotta push!" she groaned, shuffling about to get comfortable. "I gotta puushhh"

Just then, Dr Meyer, Nora and one more nurse came into the room "Okay Mercedes, from what I can hear, you're having the urge to push...let's just see how far you are..."

"Fuck that...I just gotta push." Mercedes moaned weakly, tears slipping out of her eyes and squeezing Kurt's hand, making him pale.

"I can now confirm you are fully dilated. Just wait five minutes to set up then you can start." Dr Meyer smiled brightly, giving Mercedes' shoulder a comforting rub.

* * *

"Right Mercedes, when you're ready, I want you to push down to your bottom, like you're on the toilet, on your next contraction alright? Chin on your chest and push down long and strong"

"Yep"

"Okay...the next one is coming now...and go go go..."

Mercedes shut her eyes and pushed for as long and hard as her body would let her. She gave a small scream as she felt a weight inch down slightly.

"Mercedes, Mercedes? All the energy you could be using to get your baby out, you're wasting by screaming."

"I don't care! I just want it out!" she shouted, her speech distorted by the mouth piece.

"I know this sounds cliche but you are doing really well, especially for a first time Mom. You'll have a baby within the hour, that I can guarantee. Alright...and again"

* * *

An hour later, Mercedes wasn't making progress. At least, she didn't think so. But according to Dr Meyer, her Mom, Nora, the other nurse who introduced herself as Anya and Kurt she was 'so so close.'

"...it's crowning! You're almost there Mercedes! A few more then you'll be a Mom! It's got a lotta dark hair so it takes after you!" Nora smiled, holding Mercedes' left leg up.

Mercedes whimpered softly, pain spasming down her back in waves making her lurch forward and bear down

"You can do it...you can do it" Kurt whispered reassuringly, yelping as his hand was suddenly crushed. He looked over and immediatly felt light headed. There was a load of blood, he didn't do good with blood. His vision was taken over by black dots and he could hear the noise of everything become muffled. Before he knew it, he was on the floor and there was a sharp pain going through his left ankle.

"Kurt" Mercedes sat up, trying to see over the edge but was taken back by a burning pain that made her suddenly suck her teeth.

"'Ce, I need you to pant for me alright? Now the cord seems to be around the neck..."

"Aw HELL to the naw! I...lost Sam, I'm not going to lose this baby!"

"Easy does it." Dr Meyers muttered, gently manipulating the cord around the baby's neck "Easy..."

Mercedes screamed as the shoulder came out, quickly followed by another shoulder and the rest of the body.

She panted, leaning back into the pillows weakly, laughing "I just had a baby" she smiled, her fringe sticking to her forehead.

She strained her ears, trying to hear the first vital cries. There wasn't.

"What's wrong? I-is it alright?" Mercedes whispered, her eyes welling up. "Why isn't it crying?"

"Don't worry Mercedes, everything's alright, he just needs time to wake up properly." Anya explained, trying to keep the new mom calm.

Mercedes frowned in thought "He?" she asked Nora "Did you just say 'he'"?

Just then, an angry wail could be heard from the warming table in the corner "Oh, he's got a set of lungs!" Nora laughed, checking that the baby was okay.

Mercedes smiled wryly. Kid's not even five minutes old and already he had a voice to rival her own.

"Oh, it's okay honey, Mommy's right here." the nurse cooed, adjusting the small woolen cap on his forehead "Come on, let's see Mommy"

As Anya walked over with the baby, Dianne took a few pictures, wiping away the tears in her eyes

"Here he is Mom, a healty baby boy, 7 pounds 1 which is a nice healthy weight. Apgar is 8 so yeah, he's all yours."

Anya transfered the baby to Mercedes who gasped as she felt his weight. He felt so heavy in her stomach and yet...he was so tiny

"Hey honey" she laughed, kissing his forehead "Hey sweetie"

"Do you have a name?" Dr Meyer asked, clearing away some of the medical equipment "We're gonna need one soon for medical references, preferably by the end of today. "

"I'm not sure 'bout the first name but the middle is definitely Samuel. Even though he's not here, I can tell he's watching us to make sure we're okay."

"How can you tell?" the young doctor mused lightly, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"It's the 29th of September, AKA the day Sam proposed to me." Mercedes grinned, gasping as the infant opened his eyes.

They were green.

Just like Sam's.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey,what up peeps? TG101 in da house! We only have a few more exams, Charlotte's being next Wednesday and Georgia's being next Monday. Congratulations to who was the lucky winner and as promised, you will be receiving 1000 cyber cookies (Although some of them may be half eaten.) and the o/c cameo will be in the next chapter (We already have an idea.) We recently bought 'All Dogs go to Heaven' as well as 'My Neighbour Totoro'. All dogs was okay, not as good as we thought and Totoro was just sweet. We're also wanting to go to the MCM expo in London but our Mum still needs convincing. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

Mercedes groaned as she rolled over in her sleep. It had been one hour since she had given birth to her son whom she hadn't even given a name yet. Everything from the waist down was throbbing and hurting.

She winced,her breasts feeling heavy "Ow." she mumbled, sitting up. Glancing at her stomach she sighed. Well the puffiness wasn't going to go down any time soon.

She moved her legs slightly, alerting a new nurse in the corner.

"Ah, Mrs Evans! My name's Penelope but you can call me Penny and I'm going to be your nurse for the next few days."

"Mercedes or 'Cedes is just fine." Mercedes smiled weakly, letting out a yawn. She gasped suddenly, as she realised her son wasn't in the room "Where is he?"

"You mean your baby? He's in the nursery with the other babies. Soon, we're going to transfer you into a ward where you'll stay for 2-3 days depending on how you heal. Do you want to see him?"

"Please" she said, sounding grateful "I still need to think of a name for him though"

"Ah, the old name game. Me and partner took a week to name our daughter and we're still not sure about what we're going to call this next one. All we know is that it's going to be another girl. Jasmine likes Satsuki from My Neighbour Totoro but we're not so keen on the idea." Penny explained, putting the blood pressure cuff on Mercedes' arm.

"Alright, this is going to be tight."

* * *

"He's SO cute!" Kurt gushed over the phone. He was talking to Blaine, a cup of coffee in his hand "Mommy's doing fine, just tired...yep..alright...love you too Blaine."

Switching off the phone, Kurt smiled fondly at his godson. He did look like Mercedes but with a light hue and Sam's eyes. He could also swear that his lips were unusually swollen for a baby that young.

But he still hadn't a name. No matter what Kurt or anyone else suggested, Mercedes couldn't find a name that would suit him.

"Why don't you just do Sam junior?" Sugar suggested, staring in awe at the small bundle that lay in her arms.

"No. Sam made it specifically clear that he is not having his kid named Sam junior. I'd like something tasteful but at the same time suitable."

"What about something religious?" Sugar suggested again, laughing as the infant wriggled, kicking the blanket away with his feet.

"Mm...I'm not a big fan of Jonah Samuel Evans personally. Momma, pass us the baby book"

Dianne passed her daughter the book, taking several more pictures of the baby who was now looking around contentedly.

Flicking through the book, Mercedes kept on stealing glances at her son, to make sure he was alright "Nope...nope...ew, no! Hmm...what about...Jaden? It means God's heard?"

"Jaden Samuel Evans...do you like that one? Huh?" Sugar asked the small bundle,kissing his nose.

"I think he likes that one." she smiled, gently handing the blanket to Dianne who returned him to Mercedes.

"It suits him...Jaden Samuel Evans."

* * *

"Mom, could you help me with his bath?" Mercedes called, wincing as she knelt down to undress Jaden. It was their first night home since leaving that morning. Kurt had decided to help because although he didn't have a CLUE about babies apart from his little sister, he and Blaine had talked about adopting a newborn so he decided to get all the experience he could get.

"Sure Mercy, just give me a few minutes." Dianne called back from the kitchen.

"Will do." Mercedes muttered, gently picking her son, making his arms flail "Hey, it's okay Jay-Jay, it's alright. Come on sweetie, let's get ready for bed yeah? Let's get ready for bed."

* * *

"Alright, now how to do this..." she mumbled, looking at the bath then back at Jaden, who was laying back in the special baby bath Santana and Brittany gave them.

Kurt sighed, shaking his head as Mercedes worked it out.

"Allow me boo. If there is one baby expertise I'm good at, it's bathtime. I used to bath Meggie ALL the time! Now, here's what you do..."

* * *

"...that's done" Kurt grinned, taking him out of the water and wrapping him in a warm towel. "You're a good boy aren't you Jaden?"

Jaden responded by yawning, his small pink tongue poking out of his mouth.

"Looks likes someone's hungry." Mercedes cooed, giving him a gentle hug "Let's get you fed and then bed yeah? Come on Jay"

* * *

Mercedes groaned as she heard a wail come from the crib. Blinking, she glanced at the clock. 5:37 am

"Guess your diaper needs changing." she smiled, yawning.

She still hadn't quite grasped the technique of changing a diaper and whilst she could do it, she still needed a bit of assistance.

"Kurt, code double D A, I repeat, code double D A." she mumbled sleepily through the baby monitor.

"Hear you loud and clear." he mumbled back, sounding grouchy. She didn't blame him, what with it being Jaden's first night, he woke up 5 times.

Moments later, Kurt came in the room, wearing some plaid pyjama pants and a t shirt of Blaine's with the Superman logo on. His hair looked a mess, there were dark rings under his eyes and his shirt was stained with formula.

"Oh,Kurt honey..."Mercedes cooed, cupping his chin in her hands and inspecting his face "Boo, you look shattered. Help me with this and go back to bed, the next time he wakes up I'll do it."

"But I..."

"I know you're here to help but you also need your sleep. Now do as I say, otherwise I'll have to confiscate your hairspray, you understand?" Mercedes asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good."

* * *

"Mercedes, I..."

Dianne paused as she opened the door. Mercedes was lying on the bed with a gentle yet firm grip on Jaden, both mother and son were asleep.

She smiled, closing the door, shushing Calvin in case he barked.

And with that, Dianne headed downstairs to make breakfast.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! Georgia here :D Yeah, this chapter is I think the longest we've ever ever done so...yeah. My last exam is tomorrow and I have prom next week so I'm looking forward to that :3 Oh! And James is in this chapter, YAY! Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

Mercedes groaned as Jaden woke up again for the fourth time that night. She glanced at the clock at groaned again. It was only 3 in the morning.

Sighing, she went to the crib that stood in the corner of her room. Jaden was wailing lightly, his fist covered in drool. He cooed softly as Mercedes picked him up

"Hey Jay" she laughed, checking that nothing was wrong "What's up hmm?" she felt his diaper and frowned. Carrying her son gently yet firmly, Mercedes went over the rocking chair in the corner, wincing slightly as she sat down. Although it had been a week since he was born, she was still rather sore.

"You hungry? Hmm? Let's see if some milk will do the trick."

Sitting down in the rocking chair, she looked at the picture on the wall, of her and Sam at their wedding, grinning at the camera with cake on their faces, having smushed some into each other only moments before. She was brought out of her thoughts by a small pressure and looked down to find Jaden feeding, his green eyes looking up at Mercedes with an air of interest.

"You do realise that today is a very special day? This day is mine and your daddy's first wedding anniversary. He wanted a whole sci fi theme but your mommy was having none of it."

* * *

_"...to the naw! For the last time Samuel, we are not having an Avatar wedding. No aliens, no sci-fi, no that creature that looks a lot like Joe-"_

_"Jarjar Binks?"_

_"Whatever,we're not having an Avatar wedding."_

_Sam opened his mouth to speak but Mercedes spoke for him_

_"Or a Back to the future themed or Star Wars. Nothing out of the ordinary."_

_"Can we at least use the cake toppers?"_

_Mercedes sighed "We'll see, alright? Besides, I wanted to use Mickey and Minnie for that"_

_"Don't worry babe" Sam grinned, kissing her forehead "I've got it all under control"_

_"N-O spells no Sam! I don't want to be the girl remembered for having the weird ass wedding! I have been planning this day since I was five years old and I am not having you come along and-and...ruin it all!"_

_"You're not gonna be known as that, WE'RE going to be known for that"_

_And with that, Mercedes smacked him upside the head._

* * *

"Jaden...Jaden" Dianne soothed,trying to calm down her grandson "Come on sweetie, stop being fussy for Nana yeah? Come on. Momma's going to be home soon, she's just seeing daddy at the moment."

* * *

"Hey Sam." Mercedes smiled, kneeling down next to the gravestone, not wanting to show she was in pain.

"Well, I've finally had the baby. You've-you've got a beautiful baby boy...Jaden Samuel. I know you won't approve but it's better than calling him Sam junior."

She chuckled, sighing "Yeah, he was born last week, the date of the day you proposed? Remember that? You proposed in na'avi and then I was pissed off at you for making it Avatar." Mercedes sighed again "Jaden is perfect. Your eyes and lips but according to Mom and Kurt he has my nose and ears. He is definitely your son. He has to be the most relaxed baby I have ever seen, although he does make his needs known"

"Rory's alright, thank God. He has had several operations and is still doing physio but it's getting there. He doesn't want to use a prosthetic arm, says it's not worth it and it's something to tell the grandkids. "

She sighed looking at her watch "I need to go now, to look after Jaden. When you're up there, look for my Grandma Maria and Ursula alright? You'll find Ursula, she's a massive great dane, blue eyes, grey fur."

* * *

"Hey Jaden! Were you good for Nana Di whilst I saw daddy? Hmm?" Mercedes cooed, taking him off Dianne.

"He was fine. He's been sleeping most of the time and only woke up because of a dirty diaper. You want a coffee?"

"Coffee's fine!" Mercedes shouted from the living room "Do you want me to tell you the story of me and daddy's wedding?" she asked Jaden who looked up at her, blinking slowly. "Well..."

* * *

_Sam rolled over in his sleep, grunting as he heard the familiar sound of the alarm clock beep steadily, indicating that it was his wedding day and he was in for a bumpy ride._

_He stretched, before shaking his head. Swinging his legs over the side, he put his feet in his Yoda slippers before heading downstairs and into the living room._

_He looked around the room and laughed at the sight that lay before him._

_Both Finn and Puck were on the couch-bed, only the Lion King blanket covering them both. Artie slept on the floor, mumbling something about "Tina" and Rory was on the other couch, snoring loudly._

_Grinning, he crept into the kitchen where a half asleep Mike and Joe were sitting at the table, blearily drinking coffee and talking amongst themselves._

_"...she's due in 2 months so..." Mike shrugged, taking another sip. He stopped when he noticed Sam"Hey dude, you nervous about today?"_

_Sam shrugged, putting a pop tart in the toaster "I don't know man, I mean...I'm more excited than nervous, especially about tonight."_

* * *

_"Good morning starshine!" Kurt sang, shaking Mercedes awake "Let's go Sleeping Beauty! It's 7 and the wedding is at..."_

_"3" Mercedes mumbled, rolling over "The wedding is at 3 Kurt so I expect at least a minimum of another...2 hours sleep. Mercedes Jones does not function till after 9."_

_"Mercedes Jones does not function till after 9 on every other day except her birthday and it'll possibly be even later tomorrow."_

_"I can't believe you're implying what I think you are. Just because as of 4pm this afternoon, I'll be Mrs Mercedes Evans, it does not mean were going to have sex on the first night. If anything it'll be on the honeymoon."_

_"Ew, I did NOT want to know that." Kurt grimaced shuddering_

_"Oh come on, like you and Blaine didn't do it on your wedding night."_

_She laughed as Kurt turned deep red, mumbling something about "breakfast"_

_Getting out of bed, she went downstairs, only to be greeted by Calvin "Hey Calvin, where's Hobbes hm? Where is he?"_

_"Last time I saw him, James was in the living room trying to play with him." Dianne expalined, poking her head around the door. __"Morning Mercy." she smiled, holding her daughter in a tight embrace._

_"Morning Mom...I can't believe it's finally here."_

_"Neither can I. You've been planning this since you were five. You and Lucy-"_

_"It's Quinn."_

_"Sorry, I'm so used to knowing Quinn as Lucy that it sorta sticks. You just relax in the living room, I'll bring in some coffee."_

_Sitting down on the couch, she swore she heard the greyhound sigh as James poked its cheek._

_"James sweetie, you don't do that, alright? Here" She held his wrist, and stroked the dog "See, that's how you do it."_

_James looked at his aunt with a slight annoyance but carried on the way she had shown him._

_Mercedes chuckled, looking up to find her older brother looking for his son,only to breathe a sigh of relief as he found him._

_"There you are James! Come on, Mama's wanting to give you a bath before the wedding."_

_"No" James smiled smugly, certain he was going to win._

_"Come on James, you don't want to be all dirty and smelly for Aunt Mercy's and Sam-I-am's wedding do you?"_

_"No!"_

_"Is that the only thing he knows?" Mercedes smiled, laughing at her brother's attempts to make his son talk._

_"He can say car, bug and boom when he wants to but that's not often. Let's go squirt."_

_As Jackson carried James upstairs, Mercedes couldn't help feel sorry for him as James squealed "NOOOOO!"_

* * *

_"Dude come on! You're gonna be late!" Puck shouted from the bottom of the stairs._

_"Isn't it usually the bride that's supposed to do that?" Rory asked, looking around __awkwardly._

_"Yeah, but Mercedes has Kurt and knowing him, he would have woken her up hours ago. Probably stuffed her with some oatmeal bran crap of some sort. Whereas we have Sam and the only thing we've stuffed him with is a bacon sandwich and some pepsi."_

* * *

_Meanwhile on the other side of the neighbourhood, Mercedes was freaking out, panting with tears streaming down her eyes._

_"Oh my God...I-I'm freaking out...I mean...I'm not ready for this."_

_"Yes you are Mercedes. I wouldn't have given him my permission if I felt that you weren't." Dianne chided, applying her lipstick "Besides, it's just nerves...trust me."_

_"Mercy, in all due respect could you maybe stop the crying a little? I spent ages on that makeup."_

_I'm sorry Kurt, it's just that..." she smiled slightly, dabbing her eyes with a tissue._

_Kurt's face softened as he saw Mercedes, feeling guilty at what he said. "Here, have a glass of water."_

_When Mercedes shook her head, Kurt persisted "Go on, take it. It'll work."_

_"Just because it's works for Rachel doesn't mean it'll work for me."_

_"Mercy, trust me on this one. It'll help calm your nerves as well as cool you down. I should know, I learnt the hard way. When I got married to Blaine, I didn't have anything and I passed out due to nerves."_

_"No, you passed out because you insisted on wearing a black tux on the hottest day of the year and you refused to have any liquids on the account that you might have to use the bathroom in the middle of the service." Carole explained, keeping a close eye on her daughter, who was trying to teach James different Harry Potter spells._

_"James, it's EASY!" Megan sighed rolling her eyes "Wingardium Leviosa! See? I can say it an' I'm in first grade!"_

* * *

_Sam and the others were currently at the church, amongst the other guests, Mercedes' family being on the right and Sam's on the left._

_Sam was pacing up and down, glancing at his watch every few seconds. Where was she? She was 20 minutes late and still no sign._

_"Sam, calm down, there's no use panicking." Dwight __said, trying to calm him down "She'll be here."_

_"But what if she isn't?"_

_"I've never been married or been to a wedding before but I thought it was the groom who could only do that." Rory mumbled, looking at his feet._

_"Nope. It can be the bride too. That almost happened with your mother and I. She was having second thoughts and almost walked out."_

_"What made her stay?"_

_"A promise. That I would always be by her side and I would never leave her. That no matter what happens, I'd be with her through it all."_

_"And you have?"_

_Dwight nodded, tears in his eyes "Yeah...I have."_

* * *

_"Can everyone be upstanding for the bride?"_

_As everyone stood up, Sam took a shaky breath. Forcing himself to look forward, he tapped his foot nervously. Upon hearing the wedding march, he strangled a sob in his throat. Mercedes glided towards him, her arms linked with her brother, who was smiling proudly. As they got to the end of the aisle, Jackson let Mercedes go and stood beside Sam._

_"Take care of her. Not only for Dianne and I but for Dad." he whispered, patting him on the shoulder for luck._

_"Sure thing. Thanks man."_

_"No problem." Jackson nodded, assuming his position._

* * *

_"...I am very pleased to announce that you are officially Mr and Mrs Evans. You may now kiss the bride."_

_Before Sam could do anything, Mercedes grabbed Sam's face and kissed his lips passionately. Sam returned the kiss before pulling away. _

_He. __Felt. __Great_

* * *

_"...welcome Mr and Mrs Samuel Ev-ANS!" Puck announced, allowing Sam, who was holding Mercedes bridal style, to get through._

_"Thanks for the introduction Puck. Hey everyone, thanks for coming, glad you could make it. Erm...free bar's over there and if there's a fire alarm, just-just go outside. Thanks for coming and have a good time!"_

* * *

_Everything was perfect. At least it was in Mercedes' eyes. She glanced down at the wedding band that joined her left hand and kissed Sam's cheek making him blush._

_"Alright you guys, now it's speeches!" Puck announced once again "Um...upon being one of the four best men, I can say...Sam, over time you've become a good friend to me. even through all the shit you went through in high school what with your family moving and everything you've stood by me. And I admire that about you dude. So, good luck man. And Mercedes, what can I say? You're lucky to have her Sam and from experience she'll keep you very busy." Puck grinned, earning a few laughs and an eyeroll from Mercedes._

_"Anyway, I just want to wish you the best of luck and I can only think of what any Sam and Mercedes hybrids might look like. Think about it, Sam's mouth and Mercedes' curves, which, by the way, are still more than a Nissan ad. Sam and Mercedes everyone!"_

* * *

_Mercedes was sitting down, chatting to Kurt when Sam came up to her, his hand extended "'Scuse me ma'am but can I have this dance?"_

_Mercedes looked back at Kurt who was encouraging her. She smiled, taking up his offer._

_"And now ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome Mr and Mrs Samuel Evans for the first dance."_

_Mercedes rested her head on her new husband's chest, gasping softly as she recognised the choice of song._

_Looking in your eyes I see a paradise  
This world that I found is too good to be true.  
Standing here beside you  
Want so much to give you  
This love in my heart that I'm feeling for you.  
Let em say we're crazy  
I don't care about that  
Put your hand in my hand  
Baby  
Don't ever look back.  
Let the world around us just fall apart  
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart.  
And we can build this dream together  
Standing strong forever  
Nothing's gonna stop us now.  
And if this world runs out of lovers  
We'll still have each other.  
Nothing's gonna stop us.  
Nothing's gonna stop us now.  
I'm so glad I found you  
I'm not gonna lose you  
Whatever it takes I will stay here with you.  
Take it to the good times  
See it through the bad times  
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do.  
Let them say we're crazy  
What do they know?  
Put your arms around me  
Baby don't ever let go.  
Let the world around us just fall apart  
Baby we can make it if we're heart to heart.  
And we can build this dream together  
Standing strong forever  
Nothing's gonna stop us now.  
And if this world runs out of lovers,  
We'll still have each other.  
Nothing's gonna stop us.  
Nothing's gonna stop us ..._

_Ooh_  
_All that I need is you_  
_all that I ever need._  
_And all that I want to do ..._  
_Is hold you forever_  
_Ever and ever!_

_And we can build this dream together_  
_Standing strong forever_  
_Nothing's gonna stop us now._  
_And if this world runs out of lovers,_  
_We'll still have each other._  
_Nothing's gonna stop us._  
_Nothing's gonna stop us._

_And we can build this dream together  
Standing strong forever  
Nothing's gonna stop us now.  
And if this world runs out of lovers,  
We'll still have each other.  
Nothing's gonna stop us._

_And we can build this dream together_  
_Standing strong forever_  
_Nothing's gonna stop us now._  
_And if this world runs out of lovers,_  
_We'll still have each other._  
_Nothing's gonna stop us._  
_Nothing's gonna stop us..._

_Looking into the eyes of her husband, she realised he was crying._

_"I love you" he whispered in her ear "More than you can ever know."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi readers! Georgia and Charlotte here! It's 11:52pm and we're watching American Dad! where Stan is taking a baby he named Liberty to Nebraska to get adopted. Just to give y'all a heads up, we're going to be busy over the holidays. This is because we've signed up for NCS (National citizens' service) and it starts at the end of the month. It includes an adventure camp type thing as well as a week at a university. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

"Jaden Evans?"

Mercedes sighed as she heard her son's name being called out into the small waiting room that was brightly decorated with cartoons on the walls.

"Well Mockingjay, I guess that's us." she whispered, trying to reassure the infant in her arms.

As they were led into a room patterned with Care Bears, Mercedes sat down, trying to calm down her son who was growing more and more antsy.

"Dr Westwood will be here shortly" a nurse explained, gathering a sheet of notes before making her way out, accidently bumping into whom Mercedes could only presume to be the doctor.

There was no way on earth this man could be the doctor. Mercedes had presumed that he would be like most of the others on the ward. Old. And if they weren't old, they were certainly heading that way.

The man that stood before her was easily as old as Sam, if not slightly younger. Mercedes couldn't help but blush when she first made eye contact. And who wouldn't? With his dark spiky hair, olive hued skin and piercing blue eyes which was complemented by a pair of stylish glasses, if he wasn't wearing the doctor's coat, Mercedes would have mistook him for a university student.

"Hi, you must be Mercedes?" the young man questioned holding out his hand "My name is Dr Matthew Westwood but the kids call me Dr Matty. Hello" he chuckled softly, interacting with Jaden "How are you this morning mister Jaden?"

He laughed as Jaden babbled, sucking on his fingers "Nice to meet you too. So, we're here for his check up?"

Mercedes nodded "Mhhm, 3 months."

"Alright, has he had any illnesses or any problems?"

"Um...he was slightly ill when he was about 2 weeks old, that was 'cos of the cord stump getting infected. I also noticed he looked a bit red around the diaper area. Aside from that, nothing."

"And you say everything's cleared up now?"

"Yep. We came in about a month ago and they said everything's healed."

"Okay" he mumbled, undoing his diaper "Alright Jaden, I'm gonna check that everything's good under the hood, have an injection and then I'll see if there's a toy for you."

* * *

"Everything's alright, there are signs of diaper rash evident but we'll get to that later...and now, we'll do the shot. Mercedes, if you just hold him for me, keep him calm and reassured?"

"Yep. Come on Jaden, it's alright." she soothed as Jayden wriggled in her grasp "It's alright..."

As she held him firmly, she started singing under her breath.

"Whatever you imagine, can one day come to be,there are dreams to awaken, roads to be taken, follow them and they will set you free..."

As Matthew administered the shot, Jaden yelled in shock, crying out.

"There you go bud, all done. And because you were so brave, you get to choose a special band aid. These ones are from my own personal stash and don't get given out that often. I've got moustaches, Angry Birds, pirates,pickles or bacon."

Jaden cooed quietly, grabbing onto one of the Angry Bird band aids. He dropped it and stuck his hand in his mouth, chewing on his fingers.

"Has he been set on solids yet?" Matthew asked, picking the band aid up "Y'know baby porridge?"

"Well,my Mom's been trying to convince me but I believe in not introducing them until his teeth come through."

"You might want to start thinking about it soon. The average age for teeth to come through is 6 months but it can be earlier, depending on when the parent's teeth came through. Okay then, everything looks good and normal. If you'd just go to the waiting room and stay there for 10 minutes, that'd be helpful."

"Hang on a sec, I thought it was over?" Mercedes said, furrowing her brow.

"It is. It's standard procedure to keep an eye on them for 10 minutes after the shot has been done. It's just to see if there are any side affects and so far we have been lucky in that department. Although one of them did develop the ability to shoot webs out of his wrists a week later."

Mercedes giggled "Seriously? Spiderman?"

"You can't go wrong" Matthew laughed, holding his arms up in defeat "I'm a Spiderman nerd"

"My husband was..." she started to say before her voice trailed off

"Was?"

"Yeah...he died in a car...crash, 7 months ago"

It was then Matthew realised "Mercedes Evans...wife of Sam?"

Mercedes looked at him, shocked "How did you know?"

"I was one of the doctors that day. I'm still kinda new to this whole thing." he shrugged, getting something from one of the drawers.

"Hang on a sec...you were the one that was panicking weren't you? I think I remember you now! You got taken away before there was anymore to be done."

"That's me. I was a newbie and you know...hey, how're you coping? Y'know without Sam?"

Mercedes sighed, tears welling up in her eyes "We're getting along alright, well Jaden is anyway...me? Not so much, I just...miss him."

Matthew sighed, not really knowing what to do at that moment in time. He never had that sort of experience and working as a newly qualified doctor meant that there wasn't much time to maintain a decent relationship.

"Don't worry, it'll get better, it may not seem like it but it will."

"Yeah...so is everything okay?"

"Yep. I'm going to prescribe some cream for the rash and I'd like you to check back with me within a month just to see if everything's healed"

"Thanks Matthew" Mercedes smiled, picking up Jaden,who now had a toy green pig in his grasp.

"Anytime."

* * *

"Hey boo!" Kurt called from the living room as Mercedes entered his and Blaine's apartment "Blaine's taking Frank for a walk."

"Kurt, Blaine's _always _taking Frank for a walk. And...someone's here to to see you!"she smiled in a sing song voice.

Mercedes could see Kurt's face visibly light up as she walked into the lounge.

"Hey there munchkin! You have grown so much mister! Yes you have,haven't you? You're gonna end up a little chunky monkey,I just know it!" Kurt babbled, playing with Jaden's feet. "Come on buddy, let's get you out of this stuffy car seat"

As Kurt took him out, he frowned, sniffing Jaden's diaper "Phew! Mercedes, where's the diaper bag? Jaden's a stinky boy! Yes he is."

Mercedes couldn't help but smile as she watched Kurt interact with Jaden. She should have expected this from the start. Both Kurt and Blaine had expressed interest in starting a family and seeing most of their closest friends start families of their own only fueled that longing even more.

As Mercedes passed him the patterned diaper bag, Kurt mouthed a thank you before undoing Jaden's sleep suit. "All right you...little brown bear, let's get you cleaned up."

Undoing his diaper, Kurt gagged. It. Was. Everywhere . Up his back, on his stomach and for some reason it got into his HAIR.

"Erm...Ce? A little help?" he gingerly called out, trying not to breathe.

Mercedes sighed, rolling her eyes. Not even two minutes and already Ivory was in trouble.

"Kurt,I honestly can't believe you. You haven't been left alone two minutes and already-" she was cut off by the sight that lay before her.

Jaden lay on the changing mat, his back covered in poo. He whined uncomfortably as Kurt sat there panicking, trying not to puke himself.

"Kurt, let me" she offered, taking the wipes out of his hands "Come on sweetie, let Mama clear you up"

* * *

"...thanks again,Mercy."

"Boo, you don't need to thank me. I just did what I had to do. Jaden pooped and I cleaned it up. It's all part of the job,honey."

"I know that, it's just...I dunno. How did the doctor's go?"

Mercedes must have blushed because Kurt gave a short gasp "Who is he?" he asked intently "Is he cute?"

"Woah, slow down Secretariat, we're not going anywhere just yet. Yes, he's cute but I don't feel I'm ready."

"What would Sam want?"

Mercedes sighed. What WOULD Sam want? Would he want her to spend the rest of her life lonely and loveless? Or would he want her to move on and find someone to provide the love that he wouldn't have been able to?

"I don't know Kurt...I mean, I wanna move on,yet..."

Kurt smiled understandingly, sympathising with her. He knew what it was like to lose someone so close to you. He saw his dad go through the pain of losing his mom, only to find love again nine years later.

"Trust me, you'll find the one. Maybe it's 2 days maybe 2 years. But it'll come."

"Thanks Kurt." Mercedes said, giving her best friend a hug "Thanks a lot."

"Anytime boo, anytime."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everybody! We're now back from NCS and the next step is a community service project! That'll keep us occupied for a while then it'll be about a week and then we'll FINALLY be back at school! Well, I say school, I really mean 6th form and college. We're not so sure what to see,I want to see Brave and Georgia wants to see Ted. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

"...earth to Mercedes,come in 'Cedes."

"Huh? Oh,sorry Mockin'jay." Mercedes murmured,scraping out the last of the banana and feeding it to her son who turned his head away at the last minute.

Chuckling wryly, she wiped the excess fruit off of his face, making him cry in protest "Oh no you don't mister."

Jaden's cries quickly escalated, making Mercedes groan. Jaden had recently gotten more and more crabby, crying over stuff he didn't before. Not to mention that he was drooling more often and where beforehand, he would sleep throughout the night, Mercedes was lucky if she got two hours out of him. She knew that being a single parent would be hard but she never realised it to be this challenging.

"Are you sure you're okay,boo? If there's anything you need me to do,I would gladly oblige." Kurt asked, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah,I'm fine. Just a little tired. I swear li'l man's teething at the moment. I'm gonna have to go back to Matthew soon."

"Matthew? Is he that new doctor you've been stalking on Facebook when you thought I wasn't looking?"

Mercedes opened her mouth but no sound came out "You...seriously?"

Kurt laughed at her reaction "Trust me Mercy, I've seen enough episodes of NCIS to figure out when you're stalking someone."

"Kurt hon, you've got it all wrong. I am _not _stalking the poor guy! Okay,I looked at his Facebook once but that doesn't mean anything. I'm pretty sure he's single anyway."

* * *

Matthew Westwood sighed as he sat down,finally switching on the television after a hard day at work. It wasn't easy being a doctor, especially a children's one.

But he wouldn't change a minute of it.

Logging onto Facebook, he noticed he had a friend request. Clicking on it, he saw the face of a happy but tired Mercedes glancing up at the camera, holding a sleeping Jaden.

Several moments later, he heard the door slam as Jason entered the cluttered apartment.

"Yo Matt! You in here?" he shouted, flinging his duffel bag in the corner as he made his way to the fridge. Jason was one of his room mates, the others being Nate and Sebastian.

"Yeah, living room." he called back, accepting the request.

* * *

Mercedes couldn't help but give a small squeal of excitement as she spotted the small notice indicating that he accepted the request. Clicking on his profile, she raised an eyebrow when she saw he was friends with Puck and Lauren as well.

Making a mental note to ask them about it, she hadn't noticed his "Hi" on chat. Looking to the message, she was quick to blush and typed a reply back.

* * *

_Matt Westwood: Hi Mercedes :)_

_Mercy Evans: Hi :) Mercy or 'Cedes is just fine. How you been doing?_

_Matt Westwood: Not too bad, how's Jaden?_

_Mercy Evans: I think he's teething? He seems real crabby and drooly. I was going to bring him in tomorrow anyway, just to see if anything is wrong._

_Matt Westwood: Sounds like it, I'd bring him in just to make sure nothing's too serious. _

_Mercy Evans: Okay :) I just want to make sure,I've never done this whole being a mom thing before._

_Matt Westwood: Don't worry, it's perfectly fine. I'm availible between 12 and 3 so you could come in then?_

_Mercy Evans: Sure :D_

* * *

"So I was saying.."

"Mercedes Evans?" the nurse on duty called into the seemingly empty waiting room "Dr Westwood is ready to see you now"

"Alright. Come on sweetie." she cooed to Jaden who was currently chewing on Kurt's finger "Time to see Dr Matty."

Jaden obviously didn't want his activity interrupted and started crying when he was taken off Kurt.

"Jaden, it's okay, we're just seeing Dr Matty,you like Matty don't you?"

Mercedes' attempts to calm him down didn't work and only made him wail louder. Turning to her friend with pleading eyes, she put on the tone that always worked with him in high school.

"Kurt, could you...?"

Kurt sighed rolling his eyes "Come on then. But when we're in the room, you're holding him"

* * *

"Hey Mercedes" Matthew grinned, glancing at a few notes "It says that Jaden is now teething, is that right?"

"I think so...he's been really drooly and he does not sleep whatsoever. Well, that's what if feels like."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but he's six months?"

"Six months ten days ago." Mercedes replied, remembering the day he was born.

* * *

_Mercedes couldn't help but gasp in awe as her son was handed to her,now__ wrapped in a fluffy blanket. He squawked, blinking against the light._

_"Hey buddy." she softly whispered, handing him her finger to hold "Hey sweetie..." Leaning back against the pillows, she closed her eyes momentarily and let out a soft breath. _

_"He's beautiful boo." Kurt murmured, his eyes welling up slightly._

_"Isn't he just?" Mercedes mumbled,keeping one hand firmly on his back and the other lightly stroking wisps of dark blonde hair._

* * *

"So, he's been drooling a lot more?" Matthew asked, placing his finger into Jaden's mouth, causing Jaden to chew on it slightly.

"Yep, he's also been a lot more crabby." she explained, keeping a firm yet gentle grip on him.

"Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that he hasn't been bitten by any radioactive spiders nor is he to join the dark side anytime soon. The bad news is that he is teething and it can be pretty painful for him."

He took Mercedes finger and placed it on Jaden's bottom gums "You feel that little bumpy bit? They're the two bottom."

"Alright" Mercedes nodded,allowing him to chew on it "So, do I need any gel or a teething ring or..."

"He won't need a teething ring at the moment but I am going to subscribe some gel just to make things easier for him. You'll need to keep it in the refrigerator and apply twice a day, evening and morning"

"Yep"

"Alright...that seems to conclude our visit, anything else you'd like to know just ask."

Mercedes smiled, shaking his hand "Don't worry I will"

Just as the trio were about to set off, Matt stopped them "Hey um...Mercedes, do you want to go out for a coffee sometime? If that's alright with you of course..."

* * *

"...and you actually said yes?" Kurt asked, sounding both shocked and intrigued at the same.

"Yeah. Besides, it's not a date. He just invited me for some coffee, nothing special." Mercedes said, sounding a bit defensive "And anyway, he hasn't had a girlfriend in a few years"

"Yeah...but...I...Blaine. Talk to her."

"Don't you think you're taking this a little _too_ fast Mercedes? It hasn't exactly been that long." Blaine shrugged, stirring his drink. "Anyway, does he know anyone you know?"

"I believe he knows Lauren and Puck, I don't know why though."

* * *

"...dude, you're crazy." Puck explained, looking his cousin in the eye.

"Yeah, but...I dunno, I guess I just want to get back out again. She's beautiful though." Matthew sighed, a dreamy look on his face.

"What's her name?" Puck asked, being careful to keep an eye on Isaac. He was at that age where he got into everything and was currently trying to tear into a box of Cap'n Crunch.

"Isaac, you don't want to hurt the cap'n now do you?" Lauren questioned whilst taking the box away, her tone gentle yet firm.

"Mercedes." he mumbled, setting his head down on the table.

Puck frowned when he heard the name. "Hang on a sec. D'you mean Mercedes Evans?"

"Uh...I think so? I'm not sure, all I know is that her husband was involved in a crash and..."

* * *

Mercedes smiled as she saw the picture on her phone. Sugar was laying tiredly in a hospital bed, holding a small bundle whilst Rory held another one, his prosthetic arm evident looking equally, if not more, tired.

Making a mental note to visit, she stood up and crashed into someone, spilling coffee all over the stranger's shirt.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! I-I wasn't looking where I was going and-" Mercedes stopped as she looked up at the stranger, her cheeks instantly becoming flushed.

It was Matthew.

With a caramel latte from Costa now on his shirt.

"Well." he smiled, laughing heartily "It's nice to see you too Mercedes."

* * *

"They're beautiful Sugar." Rory murmured in his girlfriend's ear, gazing at the two faces sharing the plastic see through crib in the nursery. "How we're going to tell the difference, I have no idea."

"Easy. Dean has slightly darker hair than his sister. Whereas Avelyn's the blondie."

"Oh yeah...hey,look, I think they're waking up." he grinned as one of them moved about slightly before settling back down, a tiny fist near its face. "Was that Avelyn?"

"Yeah." Sugar mumbled, wincing as she sat down, the stitches pulling.

"Easy Sugar,let's see if we can get them to come in our room for a bit. That sound like a plan?"

Sugar nodded, biting her lip in pain, tears slowly running down her cheeks. She had to have a c-section because one of them were breech, meaning she couldn't deliver naturally.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his rough hand placed protectively on her slender arm.

"Still sore." she sighed, giving Rory a tired smile "Come on, let's go."

* * *

An hour later, there was a knock on the door and Mercedes' head poked round, smiling as she noticed Sugar holding a small blanket with a woolen blue cap poking out.

"Hey Sugar!" Mercedes squealed, giving her a gentle hug "How you feeling?"

"Sore" she chuckled, blinking slowly "Really sore...Dean was breech so I had to have a ceasarian" she gazed fondly at her son who was sleeping contentedly, a fist resting near his face.

"Aw...he's beautiful Sugar, he looks just like you." Mercedes awed, smiling at his features, lightly stroking his cheek.

"I know,right? He looks like me whereas Avelyn's definitely taken after her daddy."

As Mercedes looked at Dean again, there was a knock on the door and Rory's head poked round "Hey."

"Hey" Mercedes grinned, giving the Irish man an awkward hug "So, how's it feel to be a Daddy?"

"Honestly? It feels great. Sure,I'm practically running on fumes at the moment but 'side from that, it's just been great."

"Honey, you need your sleep." Sugar protested "Look, I'm fine here. Why don't you go home, feed Ray and Evangeline and get some sleep. You need it WAY more than I do."

"I just want to make sure you're safe." Rory protested back, his voice cracking "Please?"

"No." Sugar said, her voice sounding firm "You need your rest, trust me."

"But-"

"Rory..." she warned, pointing towards the door, getting more and more annoyed by the second.

Rory sighed, his shoulders drooping "I'd best go. See you Mercedes."

"Bye Rory."

* * *

After the visit, Mercedes was surprised to see Matthew in the waiting room.

"What are you doing here?" she laughed, spotting him "You didn't have to wait for me y'know."

"To be honest, I didn't know you were here, I was just visiting my new nephew." Matthew smiled, giving her a smile "He's only an hour old and my sister's first so she's pretty drugged up at the moment."

"I know how she feels. So how is she besides being drugged?"

"Tired. She did great though and the doctors reckon she'll only have to spend the night for observation."

"Tell her I said congratulations." Mercedes smiled,shrugging her bag over her shoulder.

"Want to go get a coffee? Y'know, without spilling it on me this time?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes at the comment "You're just lucky that it wasn't that hot." she teased, giving him a slight shove. "Sure, I'd love one though."

* * *

Later that night as Mercedes was giving Jaden one last feed before he went to bed , she noticed she had a text from Matthew.

_Hey, wanna go to the cinema on Saturday? They're re-playing Stand By Me? I'll buy the popcorn._

Sighing, Mercedes quickly repiled back, making sure Jaden was still latched on.

_Not sure yet, text when mind's made up._

Looking at her son, she sighed yet again and adjusted her position, making Jaden grunt.

"Sorry Jay," she murmured before speaking again "what am I gonna do? I can't get over your daddy and yet, I don't wanna be single thoughout my life y'know? I need a man who loves me for who I am."

Jaden gave another small grunt as though trying to comfort her.

"Thanks Mockingjay but you don't count. You're my son, you have no choice but to love me."

The door knocked, making Mercedes look "Don't worry, it's just me." Dianne called, opening the door. She sat down on the bed and smiled "So, you're deciding whether or not to go out with Matthew, huh?"

Mercedes nodded, starting to burp Jaden "He invited me to the cinema on Saturday. I'd like to go, but I feel it's just too soon."

Dianne sighed, placing a hand on her daughter's arm, attempting to sympathise with her. "Do what you feel is best. I can't make that decision for you,I can only give advice."

"I know...it's just...what if I haven't given it enough time? What if I have? Maybe I've given it too much time and-" she stopped suddenly as Jaden threw up on her wrist "Thanks."

"I'll get a cloth." Dianne suggested, getting up to get one from the nursery.

"No need," Mercedes smiled, holding up her wrist to reveal a soft cloth printed with ducks, obviously a present from Brittany. "I've learned that it's useful to keep one close by. Alright baby boy, after this, you're going to bed, do you hear?"

Jaden mewed, chewing on his fist.

It was hard not to love the 6 month old with Sam's eyes and hair, her nose and their combination showing in his face.

And that's what Mercedes loved about him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey peeps! Charlotte here! Nothing much going on at the moment, we might be changing colleges but 'sides from that,nothing much. Saw Life of Pi in 3D a few weeks ago. It's very good visual wise but kinda boring story wise. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

"I can't believe Jayden's crawling already." Kurt remarked to Blaine, watching their godson crawl over to Quinn,who was kneeling on the floor, her arms open and her shirt fitting slightly,revealing a small but noticeable bump.

"I know, it only seems like yesterday you sent that picture of him to me at three in the morning." Blaine chuckled, watching Paige toddle over towards Joe, who was talking to Blaine's cousin Melissa, who offered to be a surrogate for Kurt and Blaine and was now 5 months pregnant.

"...so, you get paid for having Kurt and Blaine's child?" he asked for the fifth time, still not quite understanding.

"Mmhm, I've just been getting some movement not much, but enough to know it's there. I don't believe we're finding out the gender."

As Joe was chatting to Melissa, Paige made her way over to them, giving Joe a toothy smile.

"Hello Paige! This...is the birthday girl I've been talking about." Joe grinned, picking her up and kissing her on the forehead as Paige grabbed one of his dreadlocks. "Hey! Be careful of Genesis! He has a multicolour coat and can part the sea!"

Meanwhile, Jaden had crawled over to Carole who was chatting to Mercedes about Meggie.

"She's doing great in school it's just that she seems such a tomboy and...hey sweetie."

"Mamama." Jaden babbled, cruising towards Mercedes, who swiftly picked him up and handed him a gingerbread man.

"There you go, you li'l monkey, go and cannabalise that for a bit." she smiled, keeping a hold on him "Is Meggie alright though? It's her first time in hospital?"

"She seems to be enjoying the whole "no parents" thing. But she's genuinely scared. Burt's with her at the moment, so...how's you and Matthew getting along?"

Mercedes blushed, causing Carole to laugh "It's going good. He's only been around once and that was just for dinner."

"Dinner? Is that it?" Carole asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow "A little birdy called Kurt told me that you've been out togther"

Mercedes sighed, knowing she wouldn't get past this one "Alright...we went to the cinema and he stayed overnight. On the couch. I'm not ready to fully commit just yet."

"Mercedes, it's been a year already."

"I know." she snapped suddenly "Don't you think I don't know that Carole? Because I do. I'm tired of not having him here and I'm sick of not seeing him with Jaden! That's why I want to be with Matthew but I don't want to feel disloyal to Sam. I don't want my son growing up without a father figure in his life. And before you say there's Kurt, he doesn't count. On no terms am I living with Kurt teaching him how to dress. It looks good but if he wants to get a girlfriend, then that's not the way to go. No offence,boo."

"None taken." Kurt responded, sitting down on the floor and taking Jaden from Mercedes. "Oh,you're turning into such a cute little shit aren't you? Yes you are,yes you are." he cooed, balancing him on his knees.

"Kurt...play nice." Mercedes warned keeping a weary eye on Jayden.

Jayden babbled happily, holding onto Kurt's nose with one hand whilst smacking his godfather with his now decapitated ginger bread man with the other.

"...and over here we have Jaden who appears to be attacking Kurt with an ABC gingerbread man." Artie grinned, wheeling closer to get a better shot of the action.

"This is totally not fair! He attacked me first!" Kurt protested, rolling his eyes as Artie continued to film.

"...now if we go this way, we can find the b-e-a-utful Quinn who might I add who is the proud mama of the birthday girl and Heart junior."

As Artie carried on filming, Mercedes' phone suddenly went off, playing the Big Bang Theory tune "..._big bang, BANG!"_

Rolling her eyes, she pressed accept and held the phone up to her ear "Hey Matthew."

_"Hey_ _Mercedes. Listen, uh...I just got my own place and I though maybe you could come over a bit later? I've got movies."_

Mercedes couldn't help but smile to herself as she listened how sweet he sounded when nervous. "Matt, I'd love to, you know I would but I can't. It's my god daughter's birthday and I already promised Quinn and the girls that I'd hang with them tonight. Shall we make it next week instead?"

_"Erm...sure! Hows Saturday? Maybe I could pick you up early then we can spend the day together, get to know each other bit better."_

Mercedes rolled her eyes "Yeah, that'll be great. Saturday? Okay bye!" Switching off her phone, she felt herself blush.

"Hey guys, mind if we sit here?" Sugar questioned, holding a black car seat handle which housed a snoring bundle.

"Sure. Hows parenthood treating you?" Carole smiled warmly, sympathising with the young woman.

"Ugh, don't ask. They've finally managed to get into a decent sleep pattern but they're wanting to be fed more. Dean's hit his growth spurt so we spent all weekend shopping for new outfits. I swear 'Cedes, I must have spent two hundred dollars on shirts alone. If there was one then I wouldn't mind but not when there's two to take care of."

Mercedes chuckled softly "Mind if I hold him for a bit?"

"No, go ahead. Rory's got Avelyn."

Holding out her arms, Mercedes took Dean off Sugar and balanced him on her knee, being careful to support his back "Hey Mister Dean," she chuckled, kissing his forehead "hey sweetie...are you being good for Momma? Hm?"

Dean opened his eyes sleepily and gave a tiny yawn.

"Sorry I woke you up, bud." Mercedes grinned, noticing his blue eyes were now taking on a slightly darker tone.

"He's definitely taking on my eyes, but by the looks of it, Avelyn's going to inherit her Daddy's." Sugar sighed with a slight smirk,making sure her son was safe.

"I thought the same with Jayden. When he was born his eyes were like Sam's but by the time he was six months old,they already turned dark brown."Meredes smirked,lightly kissing Dean's knuckle.

Her blackberry beeped suddenly, causing her to look at her phone. She laughed as she came across a picture of Matthew's nephew with a pair of sunglasses on him,the caption underneath reading 'Hey sexy lady!'.

Shaking her head,Mercedes was quick to reply with a similar picture of Jayden holding his decapitated gingerbread man twenty minutes beforehand.

"Who's that?" Kurt asked, peeking over her shoulder. Swatting him away, Mercedes could feel herself blushing as Kurt laughed.

"It's Matthew, isn't it?"

"Yeah...I'm thinking of asking him out? I mean, it's been a year since Sam, and I need to move on.I mean,at least,I think I do."

Kurt sighed,sympathising with Mercedes. It had taken his own dad eight years before he found Carole and whilst there were a few relationships beforehand,it was nothing stable.

"Go with your instincts,that's what Sam would want?"Sugar suggested,taking Dean back,who mewed lightly before giving out a loud wail, causing him to start to cry.

"Sorry!" Sugar apologised, smiling wryly, wrinkling her nose slightly and looking around for the source."Ew! Dean! Now Mommy's gonna have to change you,yet again! Sorry 'Ce,gotta dash, I'll catch up later."

"No problem,Sugar. We might be going soon anyway." Standing up, Mercedes picked up Jaden,balancing him on her hip, making him whine a little.

"Sorry bud. See you later tonight!" she said, turning to Tina and Kurt who were getting up themselves. Giving Tina a hug, Mercedes laughed as she felt a kick come from Madeline.

"Hmm, not funny." Tina grumbled, poking her stomach "She's getting bigger and hasn't got that much room. She's not afraid to say that."

"How long you got left?" Mercedes asked, momentarily ignoring her son's whines.

"Three more weeks. Although she seems to have inherited Artie's height so she's actually measuring two weeks ahead." she sighed, supporting her back "Oh well...it was nice seeing you Cedes." Tina smiled, giving her friend a hug.

"You too." Mercedes laughed, returning the hug.

* * *

It was the Saturday after the meet up and Mercedes was over at Matthew's house, enjoying a glass of wine and a movie.

"What's this again?" Mercedes asked, intrigued "Pan's Labyrinth?"

"Yeah, I have a soft spot for different country films, although my specialty is animation." Matt grinned, taking another swig of cider.

"Oh yeah? What type of animation?"

"Mainly Disney but I also quite like all the old Warner Brothers cartoons. I was actually accepted into film school." he explained,casually draping an arm around Mercedes' shoulder.

"But why did you choose being a doctor instead?" she wondered, becoming more interested

"I just like helping people I guess." he shrugged "I'm a pediatrician and help with kids. My nephew's one of my patients so if you don't trust me, just ask my sister."

Mercedes laughed, relaxing a little "So, how come you're single?"

Matt chuckled, albeit a bit wryly "What happened was was that I was engaged but then my fiancee met someone over broad and left with him to England. Last I heard, they already split up. Good riddance,too."

"Mm." she mumbled,slightly uncomfortable.

"You okay?" he asked,concerned.

"Yeah, I'm just-"

"Sorry about mentioning my ex, I get your gist." Matthew apologised, looking truly sorry. Sighing, he stood up "You want popcorn? I've got a popcorn maker?"

Mercedes smiled "Sure, that sounds nice."

* * *

Three hours later, Mercedes was sleeping on the sofa, the popcorn bowl spilled all over the floor, Matthew sleeping next to her.

For the first time since Sam died, she felt truly complete.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello people! Everyone good? Good. To the reviewer known as 'Oxford', one thing I'm immediately going to clear up is that you are not being rude. Far from it. If it was like 'Where the fuck is Sam? This is supposed to fuckin' be a fuckin' Samcedes story! You are not publishing this properly!' then it would come across as rude. You explained what your problem was and yeah,we can sorta see why that would be confusing. The reason it's a Samcedes story is that Sam and Mercedes are together. Yes, Sam dies very early on but because she had such a strong connection,she finds it hard to let go;she essentially sees Jaden as a junior version of him. If you read on, there are small references as to show Sam's presence. Jaden's birthday being on the day Sam proposed, Mercedes wearing his shirt when she gives birth as well as Jaden having Sam's eyes and his middle name. And it's those reasons that Mercedes feels skeptical about starting a new relationship. People are telling her to move on and she wants to but her heart is,and always will be, attached to Sam. Sam was her first love. It's a bit like Toy Story 3; Big Baby's heart belongs to Daisy but Lotso wants him to move on and forget about her, but he never will. He can learn to move on but he'll never forget her, as like Mercedes with Sam. We hope that we've cleared that up for you and congratulations for giving us the longest author's note to date. Peace Out! TG101 :-D x  
**

"...she's beautiful,Kurt." Mercedes gushed,smiling as Alyssa yawned with her gummy mouth,turning her head towards the young woman's chest.

"Ah,buh,buh! I don't think so,honey." she laughed, putting her finger in her god daughter's mouth. She turned to Blaine who looked shattered, dark circles under his eyes, his curls disheveled,his glasses askew and a line of stubble forming around his chin.

"Blaine honey, get some sleep,you're tired. Where's Kurt?"

"He's asleep, Alyssa's kept us up all night so we're taking shifts." Blaine mumbled,his eyes drooping slightly. "The labor alone was forty seven hours and we were up for most of it. Melissa was an hour away from having a section." he chuckled, rubbing his face.

"But wait, if she was in labour for forty seven hours, how come she was an hour away from a c-section?" Mercedes asked, not understanding the logic.

"It took thirty two hours worth of contractions until she decided that she wanted to go to hospital." Kurt shrugged,shuffling into the living room.

Blaine gave him a tired kiss as Kurt snuggled up to him, drawing his legs up to his chest "How's Alyssa?" he asked, motioning to the crying infant.

"Hungry." Blaine muttered, heading towards the kitchen "I'll feed her."

"No,I'll feed her." Kurt half heartedly insisted,rubbing his cheek on Mercedes' shoulder.

"Guys, don't worry, _I'll _feed her. I've been in the game long enough to know how much formula is needed." Mercedes sighed,gently getting up, making Alyssa wail lightly.

"Sorry baby girl."she whispered,placing a kiss on her forehead. Humming, she expertly prepared a bottle of formula and checked on Jaden who'd just woken up from his nap and was now sitting up in the pack crib.

"Hey there Mockingjay. Just give momma a minute,okay?" she smiled,ruffling her young son's hair.

Jaden babbled excitedly, trying to climb over the side to see his Mom "Mama." he whined, holding up his arms, wanting Mercedes to pick him up "Bainey."

"Don't worry, Uncle Bainey's here." Blaine whispered,picking Jaden up.

Blaine had recently convinced Jaden to say his name, albeit it being "Bainey" instead of Blaine, much to Mercedes' amusement.

"Ugh,you're going to be a big boy,aren't you?" he mumbled as he sat down next to Mercedes "How old is he?" he asked Mercedes who was trying to feed Alyssa but to no avail.

"He's fifteen months old now." Mercedes said, sounding proud. "Come on Alyssa, if you can't feed for me,at least feed for daddy and papa."

At that moment, Kurt couldn't help but smile a little. They really had to get used to calling themselves daddy and papa soon. Bringing himself out of his thoughts, he looked at his daughter who was now feeding contentedly,a pink flush spreading across her cheeks.

Chuckling, he stroked her cheek lightly with his little finger, making her wriggle a bit, pulling away from the bottle.

Sighing, Mercedes expertly wiped her mouth "Shh...shh it's okay sweetie. Let's get you burped."

With a swift motion, she gently sat Alyssa up, supporting her delicate frame as she applied pressure to her back. "Let's see if we can get little miss Alyssa Marlena Hummel - Anderson to burp."

After a few minutes, Alyssa let out a burp, causing Blaine to whistle a little "Wow, nice one sweetie," he praised, taking her off Mercedes "Good girl! Best be careful Kurt,I think we've got a champion burper on our hands."

"Charming." Kurt muttered dryly from the couch.

Noticing that he was being ignored, Jaden toddled over to Mercedes,before tugging on her trouser leg."Mama..."

Mercedes rolled her eyes, picking up her son "Alright Jay, Mama's here. Wanna go to Matty's?" she asked, smiling a little as Jaden nodded.

"Come on then Superman, let's get going."

* * *

_Ding dong_

"...I'm coming,just gimme a minute!" Matthew's voice shouted from the other side of the door.

"It's just us!" Mercedes called,walking into the kitchen,Jaden following closely behind. "Hey!" she greeted, giving Matt a quick kiss on the cheek "How you been?"

"Good...I've been good. Hey Jaden!" he grinned, tossing the toddler up into the air, making him laugh wildly "What you been up to buddy?" he asked as he handed Jaden back to Mercedes, motioning towards his eyebrow which had some steri strips on them.

"He fell in the park onto some gravel and fortunately he's okay, thank god and just escaped with a small gash. You still haven't worked out the whole running thing have you?" she chuckled wryly, placing her son down.

"Mama..." Jaden whined, burying his face in Mercedes' knee "Mama..." he screamed as a little ginger kitten came up to him, purring as it wrapped itself round Jaden's ankles "Mama!"

"Don't worry Jay, it's just Thor. Loki's around here somewhere as well." Matt reassured,kneeling down to the toddler's level.

"Oki..." Upon realising that "Thor" wasn't a threat, Jaden squealed happily, chasing after the kitten. A few seconds later, he grabbed him, squeezing him, making the kitten mewl in terror.

Upon burying his face in Thor's fur, Thor decided he had had enough and gave Jaden a scratch before running away, hissing one last time before hurrying off to find his brother.

Jaden cried out in shock,before looking at his hand,which had small droplets of blood welling up. Looking back at his hand, he sat down and began to cry, holding up his arms for Mercedes to pick him up.

"Mama!" he cried, tears running down his cheeks "Mama."

"Oh, ssh...it's okay Mockingjay, it's okay." Mercedes cooed,wrapping her arms around him.

"Is he okay?" Matthew asked,showing a hint of concern. "I'm so sorry 'bout that, I've only had them for a week and they're not exactly used to strangers just yet."

"It's okay, just a scratch." Mercedes confirmed, kissing her son's cut "Better?" she questioned, holding a tissue up to Jaden's nose, wiping it.

"Has he had a tetnus yet?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yeah, he had it yesterday after his gash. You're not doing too well are you bud?" She laughed as Jaden shook his head, mumbling "No Oki."

"Okay, no Loki. Matt, d'you mind if I put him down for a nap do you?" she turned to Matt who was standing awkwardly.

Looking up, he shrugged "Yeah, it's fine. He can have a nap in my bed if he wants to? Jaden, wanna sleep in Matty's big bed?"

Jaden blinked slowly before responding "No." making Mercedes laugh even more.

"Honey, I know you don't like naps but you need one otherwise you're just gonna be moody all afternoon. And we don't that,do we?" she asked,brushing away the hair out of his eyes.

"Tell you what Jay, if you take a nap,I'll let you borrow Chuck Norris,how's that sound?" Mattie said, trying to encourage him "Hmm? Want Chuck Norris?"

"Yeah." Jaden mumbled, holding his arms up for Mattie to carry him. Smiling, Matt took him upstairs, laying him down in his bed.

"There you go,bud."

* * *

Switching on the movie, Matt gave Mercedes a kiss on the temple, making her blush slightly

"You're so cute when you blush." he mumbled,running a hand down her back,making her shiver excitedly "What's so good about this movie anyway?" he asked, motioning to the scene on the screen.

"Ten things I hate about you? It's one of my favourites! I'm actually a secret Shakespeare fan so..."

"Oh aye? I never considered you to be a fan of Shakespeare." he mused,raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't exactly say a fan of his works,I'm more into the adaptations." Mercedes admitted,resting her head in the crook of his shoulder.

Her attention then wandered towards the door where Jaden was, clutching Chuck Norris "Mommy," he mumbled, toddling over towards the couch, tripping over his feet "Mommy..."

"Jay, you were supposed to be sleeping, what's up?"

"No!" Jaden whined, attempting to clamber up on the couch in between Mercedes and Matt "No."

"Jaden, this is Matty and Momma's time,not yours." Mercedes explained firmly,before putting the toddler back down,only for him to climb back up again.

"Jaden,no." Matthew said, again putting him on the floor "Come on bud, don't you want Mommy to be happy?"

"No!" Jaden giggled, chucking the stuffed toy at him "No no no no no no no!"

Mercedes shot Matt an apologetic look,giving a small shrug.

"Don't worry,he'll fall asleep soon."

* * *

"Sorry about Jaden, Matt." Mercedes whispered later that night,pulling the blanket to cover her chest.

They had been in a relationship for three months much to the surprise of everyone, making it official on Jaden's birthday.

"It's okay," Matt reassured, kissing her cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb "He's a toddler, he doesn't know any better."

"I still feel responsible." she admitted, snuggling into his chest.

"Don't be. At least you put some authority into place. I've seen some kids just run absolute riot and the parents having no control whatsoever." he added with a light chuckle.

Sighing, he switched the light off and hugged Mercedes, breathing in her scent "Night Mercy,I love you"

"I love you too." Mercedes smiled, gently closing her eyes and falling asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey there! So so sorry we haven't updated in a while :( We've been too busy over the past couple of months and yeah...stuff has happened. Would you guys like a sequel to this or not? This is the last chapter of this story! Sorry! Peace Out! TG101 :-D x**

Mercedes frowned as she spotted the small red dot on the calender next to the bathroom mirror. The dot was supposed to be the day she got her period and that was ten days ago.

It had been sixteen years since Sam had died. Sixteen long years in which she learned how to love again without feeling guilty.

Besides, it's what Sam would've wanted...right?

Sighing, she dismissed the thought and headed towards her son's bedroom where Jaden laid sprawled out on the bed which he was clearly getting too big for, his old Lorax toy tossed to one side.

"Come on Jaden get up." she said, shaking her son's shoulder.

Jaden groaned and swatted her hand away before turning over onto the floor "OW!" he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

Laughing, Mercedes made her way to her youngest and only daughter's room. Dolly was eight and was usually the quietest in the family. She rarely spoke and only held real conversation with her close family and her best friend.

Knocking on the door gently,Mercedes chuckled to herself as the door opened slightly and two small bundles of fur came running out.

"Dolly, it's time to get up."

"I am up Mom!" she called, brushing the hair of her favourite Jessie doll "There! You need to go to the dance with Buzz now Jessie."

"Breakfast in..." Mercedes started to say before she was met with her son's armpit "Smell...the love." Jaden grinned, stopping when he realised it was his Mom "Mom! Sorry, I thought you were Matt."

"Seriously Jay,and then you wonder why your relationships never last more than a month." she chided,rolling her eyes before making her way downstairs to her husband.

* * *

"Dolly honey, don't play with your food." Matthew instructed, taking a swig of orange juice "I need to leave in twenty minutes so Jaden, if you want a ride that's when I'll be leaving."

"No thanks, I don't mind driving." Jaden shrugged,his mouth full of cereal.

"I'm still not happy with you driving Jaden, 'specially after last week." Mercedes said,motioning towards the stitches on her son's forehead .

"Mom, that was one time! And besides, that was my first time after my test."

"That's why I'm worried." she muttered dryly, wiping her daughter's face much to her dismay.

"Mom, I'm not a baby!" she pouted, wriggling away from her mother's grasp.

"You've got...syrup on your face." Mercedes mumbled "Keep still!"

"Not my fault! Daddy's pancakes are too dry!" the seven year old protested,frowning at Mercedes with her deep chocolate eyes.

"Now come on, you know how hard daddy's trying. At least he doesn't burn them anymore." she said, earning a hurtful look from Matthew "What? You know it's true!"

"Well...that's me done." Jaden yawned, standing up from the table, only for his little sister to run after him, begging to watch the Swan Princess.

Once the kids had left,Mercedes shuffled towards her husband,nibbling on his ear as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Ce? What's up? You only nibble on my ear when something's up. What's wrong?" Matt asked,frowning.

"I think I could be pregnant again..."

Matthew choked, coughing on his drink "Wait, what? Again?"

She nodded, clearing away the breakfast things "Possibly,I highly doubt it though, but I feel nauseous and bloated and...just shit basically." she added as she started to put everything into the dishwasher.

"But how do you know for sure? I mean it could just be -"

"I'm late."

Matt silenced. "You're late?"

Mercedes nodded, her head in her hands "10 days late. I-I don't understand, I mean, I'm usually punctual and..."

"Hey," Matt smiled, taking her hands into his "If we are pregnant, we'll get through this...I promise."

* * *

"...well?"

Mercedes sighed, flopping on the couch next to Matthew."All we do is wait ten minutes. I swear Matt, I'm completely drained out."

The phone rang sharply, making Mercedes jump. Grabbing it, Matt pressed the receiver to his ear.

"Hello, Matthew Westwood here...uhuh...yep...okay...I'll be right there...thank you."

"What's happened?" Mercedes asked,concerned. As Matthew rubbed the back of his neck, Mercedes knew this was serious.

"Dolly got in a fight." he mumbled.

"What?" she gasped, standing up quickly. Jaden, she could sort of understand but Dolly? It couldn't be...

"Apparently, a fifth grader made a comment on how Jaden wasn't her real brother and how he has a different dad.."

That was enough for Mercedes. Fuming, she grabbed her coat and car keys before heading out the door.

* * *

"Hey, is Dolly Westwood here?" Matthew asked,keeping an eye on an angry Mercedes.

"...I swear when I get my hands on the fuckers responsible, they'll regret the day they were born." she muttered,waiting for her husband to finish.

As the receptionist led them towards the nurses station, there were three girls standing outside the principal's office, one of them sporting a pretty impressive black eye.

Making a right at the end of the corridor, they entered the nurse's office where Dolly was, sitting on the bed, looking guilty.

"Dolly!"Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief,scooping her daughter up,earning a slight grunt of discomfort. "Oh,sorry baby, I'm just glad you're okay! What happened?"

Lifting her chin, Mercedes gasped as she saw the black eye "Dolly Janine Westwood, what did you do?" she demanded, trying to get a closer look. Dolly squirmed away, hanging her head again.

"What happened?" she asked the nurse who was tending to Dolly's knee, spraying it with some iodine.

"She got into a fight with some fifth graders. I don't understand it though, usually she's the one taking the younger ones to the nurse's office but today it seems the other way around." the nurse shrugged,getting some steri - strips out of the cupboard.

"Mommy, this hurts." Dolly mumbled, wincing as the wound stung. "Ow!"

"Sorry honey." the nurse apologised putting a bandage round it "That'll do. Just get your mom to put some ice on your eye and rest the knee for a few days. You were lucky,any deeper and it would have reached the bone."

* * *

_1 month later_

"...don't worry,we'll get through this." Matthew whispered,stroking away Mercedes' tears with his thumb.

Mercedes couldn't help but let out a small sigh,her breath wavering as she glanced at the small familiar blob on the screen.

"Alright Mercedes, you're three months along and doing well." the doctor smiled, handing her a tissue to wipe the gel off her stomach.

She nodded understandingly,closing her eyes as Matt kissed her temple. She was doing well she just...wasn't so sure on how Dolly and Jaden would , she stood up,thanked the doctor and walked out.

* * *

Jaden looked at his mom and stepdad skeptically. They never usually got Ben and Jerry's unless there was an important discussion or it was on special offer and he couldn't remember it being any cheaper than usual. If anything,he could have sworn it increased in price.

They even got a Disney movie for Dolly, which never happened before, except on birthdays and Christmas. "Okay. What's up?" he asked, folding his arms.

Looking up at her big brother, Dolly did the same, pouting a little "Daddy, you KNOW I don't like this flavour."

"Sorry princess,it's all they had. Now,your Mom and I want to talk to you two about something." Matt explained,looking at his wife. "Ce?"

Mercedes sighed,working up the courage to say what she needed to. "Well...I'm going to have a baby."

"Wait...what?" Jaden asked, sounding surprised "A baby? Seriously Mom? A baby...as in a little version of a human baby?"

"Well it's not gonna be a llama is it?" Dolly said, rolling her eyes.

"Dolly,remember what we said about attitude?" Matthew warned glancing at his daughter.

"Sorry Daddy." she mumbled,staring at the floor "But I was only saying, it can't be a llama because you and Mom aren't llamas and so it wouldn't make sense!"

"She has a point there Matt." Jaden pointed out "Tell you what Doll,how's about I take you to the park for a bit? How's that sound?"

"Okay!"she squealed,climbing down from the chair and rushing out the room.

* * *

Later that night, Mercedes frowned as she heard footsteps in the kitchen. Probably Jaden satisfying his midnight food cravings yet again. Rolling her eyes, she made her way downstairs,only to find no one there.

"Hey." she heard a voice whisper. Gasping, she thought she felt a presence come up behind her and it wasn't until she turned around that she saw it. A silver figure leaning against the door frame. With its tall frame,muscular build, and a bit more silver around the mouth, Mercedes recognised it instantly.

"Sam?" she asked, laughing a little "What're you doing here?" she asked again, shaking her head.

"Come to see you silly." he chuckled, making his way over to her "I see you've got another kid."

Mercedes smiled, nodding "Yeah, that's Dolly. She was thirteen weeks premature so she was tiny. Even now,she's quite small for her age and at one point, we almost lost her. As a result,she's now on medication for life but she's gotten used to it." she shrugged,unable to take this all in.

Sam nodded understandingly,before letting out a small sigh and allowing his hands to slide into his jeans pockets.

"How's Jaden?" he asked softly,wanting to know.

"He's fine. I swear Samuel, he is exactly like you,so much so that he's practically your clone. He's also got a girlfriend although there was a slight experimental faze last year and yes,I did make sure he was protected." she added with a slight chuckle.

Sam nodded once "That's good...as long as he was protected I mea.n" he sighed "I miss you Ce...I mean, I miss you, I miss Jaden...heck, I even miss Stevie. Is everyone okay though?"

"Yep,everyone is absolutely fine and I believe that Stacey just became a mom a few weeks ago." Mercedes smiled as Sam's facial expression looked surprised.

"I'm an Uncle?"

"Mhhm." she confirmed "Stevie's got two kids of his own and Stacey's just had hers. We're all fine though. I managed to convince Matt to get some cats and now we've got Ludo and Kingsley. There was Thor and Loki but they both died last year."

"Ah, a Harry Potter fan."

"Dolly is, and so's Matt. I think Jaden's a closeted fan but he still enjoys it."

"That's good." Sam grinned,resting his chin on Mercedes' shoulder,making her shiver.

"Sorry 'bout that." he mumbled sheepishly,backing off slightly.

"It's fine...Sam?" Mercedes started tentatively,not wanting to offend her ghost husband.

"Yeah?"

"What was it like? Y'know,dying?"

The ghost breathed through his nose. He knew that this question was coming but how to answer it was another thing entirely.

"It actually wasn't all that bad. I mean, yeah it was scary, but in a good way. It was like there was nothing to be scared of as I knew what was coming. I would say though, it was definitely weird. I mean, one moment I was lying on a bed and the next, I was looking at my own body and you being ushered out the room." he admitted with a slight shrug.

Mercedes gave a brief smile before bursting into tears. Matt entered the kitchen to find his wife crying, mumbling "Sorry." over and over.

"Hey babe, what's up?" he asked, making his way over to her. Putting his arms around her, he consoled her, rocking back and forth "Babe?" he asked again "What's up?"

Mercedes sniffed,wiping away her tears.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Stupid hormones." she muttered, finally relaxing in his embrace.

"That's my dynamite gal." he whispered,placing a kiss on her forehead.

Sam sighed,before giving a little bow of his head and leaving.

"Bye 'Cedes."


End file.
